Sundial
by Silver pup
Summary: AU — The fayth have a funny way of doing things. Instead of waiting for a summoner to free them, they send in their own to do the job. Enter Tidus, the unwilling participant, as he takes on the task of saving Spira from itself. Oh dear.
1. Part I: Chapter One

**Sundial**

Summary: (AU) The fayth have a funny way of doing things. Instead of waiting for a summoner to free them, they send in their own to do the job. Enter Tidus, the unwilling participant, as he takes on the task of saving Spira from itself. Oh dear.

Author's Notes: The world needs more Auron/Tidus multi-chaptered fics with an actual plot. So I thought I'd make a contribution. Now let's see if anyone actually reads it, ehh?

Pairings: Tidus/Auron, Tidus/Seymour (one-sided), Belgemine/Luzzu, Lulu/Chappu (past), Lulu/Wakka (hinted).

Warnings: This story will be dealing with the following issues: violence, foul language (thank you, Tidus, Jecht and Ifrit) and totally screwing with the plot and characters of FFX. Beware.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

_There are no words to describe how it is to be a fayth. A spirit bound in stone whose only connection to the outside world is through dreams. Awake and aware, yet unconscious with dulled senses. Living on through others only to bring the dreams alive._

**Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming.**

_The fayth dream up dreams for the summoners to summon. Over and over, the parade goes on until the fayth began to get weary of it all. They grow tired of going through the same endless play where only the actors change while the roles stay the same. Finally it comes to a point where the dreams begin to blur together, and they began to forget what they were protecting._

**Tired, tired, tired.**

_It never ends. The summoners cannot see the fayth's desire; all they can see are the dreams. They are blinded by the lies and secrets that have made up what they believe to be their history. They cannot bring them an end. So the fayth are left with nothing but their dreams._

**End, end, end.**

_So it was to their dreams that they turned to for help. Only a dream could end their dreams. To break the pattern they would have to go back to the source. Their beginning would be their end._

**Beginning, beginning, beginning.**

* * *

**P**art **I** – **S**tranger

**P**art **I**:** C**hapter** O**ne

* * *

My life changed during the middle of a blitzball game. I think there's a pattern in this because all the major turning points in my life seem to have happened when I'm in contact with blitzball in some form. The news that my old man disappeared came when I was thinking of how to get a new blitzball; Auron found me when I was watching a blitzball game; my mother died when I was practicing blitzball; and finally the fayth and Sin came to me during a blitzball game.

What's funny about all these events is that they were all tragic. Even meeting Auron was a bittersweet sort of event because of all the hurt and misfortune that it caused was thanks to our relationship.

Still, despite what history has taught me I continue to love the game. But, like most things in my life, it's a love-hate relationship. I love blitzball because it's my one true calling; yet I loathe it as well because it's so intertwined with everything my old man stood for.

I think there's a lesson in this somewhere, but I just haven't found it yet.

Anyway, I'm getting off track here. My life changed during a blitzball game. Or more accurately it was torn apart by a giant whale and sewed back together in a completely different way by some ghosts.

My team was winning by a long run with our opponents struggling to catch up. It was the second half so they had a chance, but we were cutting them off at every turn. The Zanarkand Abes weren't the best team in the league for nothing.

I had just shot the ball off to Haru, who was in clear shot to make a goal. The ball had barely left my fingertips when it happened. The giant sphere dome trembled before going still for a second. Then, complete chaos as it blew up; shards of glass and a flood of water flying out towards the audience before anyone could blink.

I don't think I will forever forget the sight of the audience after the dome broke. The mangled bodies of men, women, and children that were hit by the projectiles of ragged pieces of glass is something that still made me retch even after I started killing fiends. The hysterical family and friends as they struggled to save their loved ones in a sea of blood and water was nearly worst.

The only good side of all this is that I didn't have to stare at it for long. After the dome broke the players either flew out with the tide of water, or hit the ground. I was lucky because I was one of the ones that hit the ground; the greatest injuries I got were a few scrapes and bruises.

Some of the other players weren't so lucky.

I think I hit my head and blacked out for a few minutes when I fell, because when I opened my eyes it was to the sight of the stadium crumbling around me. The ground was shaking and there were screams and screeching coming from somewhere off in the distance. I was also one of the few people alive that was still there.

I can't really remember much after this. I know I got up and stumbled out of the wreckage and into the city, but it's all kind of blurry. It doesn't really come back into focus until I saw Sin.

Yes, Sin. The horror that plagued Spira for centuries that could only be vanquished by the great (hah!) powers of a summoner. Of course when I saw it I didn't know any of this; hell, I didn't even know its name. All I thought was that there was a giant whale destroying Zanarkand. Only not, because whales did not grow to that size or shoot lasers from their bodies. Or at least no whale I had ever seen.

I think I should have paid more attention in my oceanography classes.

I probably spent a good few minutes just standing there gawking at the overgrown creature as it tore Zanarkand apart. It seemed particularly fixated on abolishing the remains of the blitzball stadium in a (passionate?) frenzy.

_I guess it doesn't like blitzball._

The thought made an insane giggle rise up in my throat, and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep it from getting out. Ever since I was a kid I had a bad habit of laughing in the face of a crisis and/or tragedy. It's a very annoying but amusing quirk to have. Annoying because laughing makes it a bit hard when you're trying to kill an eight-foot fiend with a bad habit of hitting you with poison. Amusing because the looks people give you when you laugh during a moment of misfortune is priceless.

Laughing in the face of Sin is one of those annoying moments. It was not the time to start giggling madly. I needed to figure out a way to get out of there alive.

"Maybe it won't come over here," I muttered, walking backwards and trying not to trip and fall. "Zanarkand is pretty big. Maybe it will get bored after awhile and go away."

_Kid, don't be an idiot,_ Jecht's voice scolded me in my head, popping up (like always) at the worst possible moment to mock me.

_Shut up,_ I snarled back, not in the mood to listen to him. I kept moving back while watching the whale shoot down another building. I figured if I could get away from it then I would be better off. But since my luck is generally complete _crap,_ I ended up tripping on some rubble at the exact moment the whale turned in my direction.

I don't know how it managed to pick me out with all the people and all the ruin around, but it did. The whale saw me and began descending towards my direction like the great vulture of doom it was.

I, naturally, scrambled up and took off in the opposite direction. My feet pounded the pavement as I ran as fast as I could to avoid becoming another corpse on the streets. I did not want to die at seventeen, victim of a mutated Godzilla whale.

_I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming of one of those cliché monster films that always come on late at night. Yeah, just a dream; just a stupid and weird—_

Sin shot off a few bolts of energy that destroyed a nearby building. The building—which was monstrously huge—fell onto the road and destroyed it. I only had a few seconds to watch the cracks in the road make their way towards me before the ground I was standing on crumbled, and I was falling. On reflex, I reached out and grabbed the nearest thing, which turned out to be a piece of iron sticking out. It was sharp and dug through my glove and into my palm making a nasty slice that nearly made me release it.

So, there I was, literally hanging on for my life. It's funny to me now, but at that moment I really did think I was going to die. My life was ending after only seventeen (short) years. The thought honestly scared me. I was afraid to die.

I wasn't hanging there for very long—though it certainly felt like forever at the time—when a gloved hand reached down and grasped the black of my hoodie to pull me up with ease. When I saw who had saved me, I was overjoyed.

"Auron!" I cried as he set me down on my feet. I wavered for a moment as another blast rumbled across the street, and automatically reached out to grasp my guardian's arm for balance. He held me steady until I could stand on my own again.

"You okay?" he asked, scanning me up and down.

"I'm alive," I answered. I wasn't going to lie and tell him I was fine because the truth was I wasn't. I was scared, confused, hurt, and a bit on the edge of a hysterical breakdown. Yeah, I wasn't 'okay'.

"Hmm," was Auron's reply, but it told me enough.

Now, people seem to think that because Auron doesn't speak a whole lot, that means he doesn't communicate. This is a big fat lie because he actually does say a lot if you just know how to read the signs. That's why I, who spent ten years with the man, am fluent in Auronese; which basically consists of sighs, grunts, snorts, and body language.

Right then Auron was telling me that he knew what I was thinking, and he could understand. That was something I always loved about Auron. He always understood me.

"What is that… that thing?" I asked, trying to find a word to describe the monster destroying my home and failing.

"Sin," Auron replied, turning around and beginning to walk down the remains of the street. I quickly followed, not about to be left behind.

"What's Sin?" I asked, sidestepping a hole in the ground.

"You'll find out."

I was about to ask what the hell he meant when strands of tentacles smashed out of a nearby building. Hundreds of small pods were ejected from the tentacles, landing on the ground. They turned into odd, deformed bugs that surrounded us.

I turned to Auron since he was the one with the weapon. "What now?"

"We fight," he answered, pulling out an unfamiliar sword from Yevon only knows where. It was crimson and jagged and looked like it had seen its fair share of bloody history. He handed it to me. "A gift from Jecht."

"My old man?" I said, surprised. I think I had a right to be. I can't remember ever getting a gift from **Jecht**. Ever.

"I hope you know how to use it," Auron said dryly as I struggled with the blade.

I flashed him a dirty look before charging one of the bug creatures. I swung the blade a few times—I had never used one before—and managed to take out one.

I turned to Auron to find he wasn't that impressed. He pointed to the other two bugs and said, "These ones don't matter. Cut through them and run!"

And we did. We went through a cycle of running and cutting down bugs for a couple blocks before Sin finally caught up (where it was all this time I have no idea), and decided to blow up the bridge we were running across.

I made a running leap and grabbed onto the edge of a broken part of the road and actually managed to hold on. Of course, Auron had to go one-up me and actually manage to leap and _stand_ on the floating piece of concrete.

"Auron!" I yelled, panicked and desperate. I was having a hard time hanging onto the edge. "Auron!"

Auron ignored me in favor of staring at the massive swirling hole of colors that was opening up in the sky next to Sin.

"You are sure?" he asked, and I realized he was actually _talking_ to Sin. Yeah, I was hanging on for my life and he was busy chatting up an overgrown Goliath.

What a guy, huh?

I guess Sin must have given him some sort of answer because he (finally!) turned down to me. "This is it," he declared, reaching down to pull me up by the collar of my shirt. "This is your story. It all begins here."

Then we were sucked up into the strange wormhole and my story really did begin.

* * *

_I was in Zanarkand. Only not because this wasn't __**my**__ Zanarkand. It was… it was something else, I just didn't know what._

"_Where am I?" I asked out loud, looking around the (un)familiar docks. There was no sound, no breeze, no form of life anywhere near me. I felt like I was in a picture or a painting; a fake mirror image of something real._

"**It's a dream."**

_I whipped around in surprise. Behind me, blurry and dressed in purple, was a little boy. "What did you say?"_

"**This place is a dream. Just like you."**

_I shivered. The voice that spoke was flat with a current of wisdom and power under the surface. It made me want to get as far away from the kid (?) as possible. "Who are you?"_

"**A dream. A dreamer. A fayth."**

"_I don't understand." And I didn't. I didn't get any of this. What was going on? Why was I here?_

"**You don't need to understand yet. Everything will become clear in time."**

"_But why in time? Why not now? Why don't you tell me now?" _

"**You are not ready. But you will be. We will help you understand. We will guide you through it."**

_The words made me feel uneasy. "Guide me through what?"_

"**Through the beginning to the end."**

_The uneasy feeling grew worse. "I'm afraid." _

"**Don't be. We will not let you fail."**

_The words did not reassure me._

"**It's time to wake up. Wake up, and begin your journey."**

_Before I got to ask what that meant, I was roughly jerked back into my body in the land of the living._

* * *

I woke up on a slab of rock in the middle of the ocean. My mind was foggy and unclear, and it took me nearly a minute to piece together my scattered thoughts so things made sense.

_Game. Zanarkand. Whale. Zanarkand. Attacked. Zanarkand—_

I sat up in a flash and immediately regretted it. My muscles burned and I felt like I had swallowed all the water in the blitz sphere. The world swayed in my vision for a moment before righting itself again.

_Whoa. I think I'm going to be sick…_

I pulled my knees up to my chest and braced my head on them. I found out as a kid that the best way to get rid of nausea was sitting like this. After awhile, when I began to feel better, I decided to chance another look at my surroundings.

I was in the middle of some sort of ruins or something. Looking over the edge of the rock, I could see that they extended out under the sea.

_Where am I? Is this… is this Zanarkand?_

No. No, that wasn't possible. This place was too quiet, too old, too haunted to be my home. I must have gotten swept out to sea or something by the whale.

_But where to? I don't remember there being any ruins near Zanarkand…_

I was beginning to feel the stirrings of panic bubble inside me. I tried to reassure myself that everything would be fine; that help would be coming soon. There would be rescue boats sent out for the people swept out to sea. One was bound to show up near me eventually.

_Oh please; you know you're going to be stuck out here forever. After all, who would know you're missing?_ Jecht's voice taunted.

_Auron would,_ I countered, and the voice shut up at that. Not even Jecht could fool me into thinking Auron didn't care. Auron, who stayed with me even longer than my parents, would never leave me to die.

_He'll find me. I know he will. And… and if he doesn't then I'll just wait for nightfall when I can see the city's lights and swim back,_ I told myself, trying to stay optimistic. If I could survive a freakin' special effects gone wrong (aka: Sin) who single-handily took out nearly all of Zanarkand, then I could survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean.

"Just gotta stay positive," I muttered, lying back on the stone with my hands crossed behind my head. I closed my eyes and prepared to wait.

I didn't wait very long before someone did arrive. Only the one who did arrive wasn't the one I was expecting.

"Gemm ed! Ed'c y veaht!" (1)

I opened my eyes to find a group of masked faces standing over me. I shot up quickly, overjoyed to find that help had finally arrived.

"You found me!" I exclaimed, ready to hand over my trophies, favorite blitzball and the deed to my boathouse to my new saviors. "Man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you guys."

"Fryd dra ramm ec ra cyoehk?" one of the masked men replied. His tone didn't sound very friendly.

I felt my pleasure waver. "Uhh, excuse me? I don't understand you."

The group ignored me.

"Fru lynac? Gemm ed ymnayto!" another man snapped back to the first man who had spoken. He sounded angry and a bit fearful. I carefully took a step away from him, and the gun I just noticed he was holding.

"Yna oui cina? E'ja hajan caah y veaht muug mega dryd pavuna," the man replied, sounding skeptic.

A third man finally spoke up. "Syopa ed'c y haf geht. Aedran fyo, E drehg fa cruimt gemm ed zicd du pa cyva."

Two men suddenly cocked their guns and pointed them at me. Before they could fire and I could react, the fourth and only female member stepped between them.

"Hu! Ed luimt zicd pa y hunsym risyh puo," she yelled, holding her arms out like she meant to shield me from the bullets. Considering that she only came up to my collarbone, it was kind of laughable.

"Yht ev ed'c hud?" the third man asked.

The girl shrugged. "Drah fa gemm ed. Vun huf fa pnehk ed fedr ic."

The two men lowered their guns and the girl turned around to face me.

She leaned in close to me and whispered, "Cunno," before she felled me. As I collapsed back into unconsciousness (yet again!), I couldn't help but feel a bit insulted.

After all, I just got knocked down by a girl smaller than me. How sad was _that_?

* * *

_B__ack in the not–Zanarkand place again. This time though I wasn't in the docks, but at the blitzball stadium. _

"_Am I dreaming again?" _

"**You are the dream."**

_I turned around and found the same boy from before standing there. "What does that mean?"_

"**It is not important. For now you must simply get Anima. She will guard you for the time."**

"_Who's Anima?" I was still terribly confused about everything, but I didn't think that was going to change anytime soon._

"**A fayth. An aeon. She will be the first of many. Help her and she will help you."**

"_How do I find her?" I asked, deciding to humor the kid._

"**Baaj Temple. It is nearby."**

"_And where am I exactly?"_

_The boy smiled in a way that made my skin crawl._

"**You're about to find out."**

* * *

I woke up to a booted foot slamming into my side. I gasped and rolled into a ball, clutching my wounded side. I heard someone yell but wasn't sure who it was before the girl from earlier was suddenly kneeling beside me.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her words now understandable.

"What do you think?" I gasped, opening my eyes to give her a dirty look. Really, what a stupid question.

The girl sighed before reaching down and tugging on my arm. "You need to get up. My brother wants to talk to you."

I wondered if this 'brother' was the one who kicked me, and if so could I return the favor. After a brief struggle with my legs, I managed to stand while leaning on the girl. She didn't seem to mind; she wrapped her arm around my waist in return to help me steady.

A man a few years older than me stepped forward. He was taller than me and had blond hair styled in a way that made it look like he got in a fight with a buzzer and lost. Even though he was wearing goggles, I just knew the guy was glaring at me.

"Ymnekrd mecdah ib! So cecdan ryc tasyhtat dryd E cbyna oui vun naycuhc E lyh'd esykeha. Nydran dryh mecdah du ran freha, E ryja yknaat. Pid eh nadinh uv ouin meva, oui'na kuehk du ryja du aynh ouin gaab po fungehk. Rikku, dnyhcmyda!" he barked at me. (2)

"You do realize I can't understand you, right?" I asked, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I didn't think that would get me any brownie points.

"He said that if you want to stay here then you need to earn it by working," the girl translated. I thought she had left some parts out there but didn't call her on it.

I shrugged, not seeing any point in arguing. If I did then they may decide to hit and/or kick me again. I wasn't too fond of pain. "Fine. What do I have to do?"

The girl pointed out to the sea and I noticed only now that we were on some sort of ship. "We'll be salvaging the underwater ruins. That is, if you can swim. You can swim can't you?"

"Of course!" I cried, feeling insulted.

The girl grinned widely. "Great! In that case, let's get you ready."

"I feel like an idiot," I declared after the girl—Rikku, she said her name was—had given me a blue and black wetsuit to wear with black boots and goggles.

Rikku rolled her unusual green eyes at me. "You look fine. You'll be thankful when you get in the water. It will keep you a lot warmer than your other clothes."

I just shrugged as the guy from earlier returned. He looked me up and down before turning to Rikku.

"Ec ra nayto?" he asked. (3)

Rikku nodded. "Oac."

The blond nodded too. "Kuut. Drah dyga res fedr oui yht dno hud du kad gemmat."

"Brother!" Rikku cried in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. She shook her head while turning back to me. "Alright it's time to go. Just follow me, 'kay?"

I gave her a two-fingered salute. "Aye, aye, captain."

Rikku rolled her eyes in return as she pulled her goggles down and dived off the ship into the water. I followed her with a leap and landed in the water with a small splash.

The first thing I realized when I hit the water was that it was cold like Rikku had said. I had never swum in such cold water before. The water around Zanarkand was usually very warm, and the only cold water I had to swim in was the water in the blitzball sphere. But even that felt like a damn Jacuzzi compared to the ocean I was in now.

_Why did I agree to this again?_ I wondered, swimming down to what looked like a sunken ship. Rikku was in front of me, leading me down into the dark depths with graceful ease. Nearby the ship's anchor descended with us; a metal bread crumb trail for us to follow back to the surface. I found it very reassuring.

It was when we were nearly to the ship that something strange happened. Three vicious and freaky looking fish appeared from inside the ship. Their scales were rough and spiky and their teeth as sharp as razors. The black liquid that leaked from their bodies was oily and thick looking and not helping their image _at all_.

_Was there a toxin dump or something? Because this is the second demented looking thing I've seen today, _I mused, pausing a few feet from the fish things. I turned to Rikku to see what she wanted to do, and found that she was still swimming towards the fish.

At first I thought that she hadn't seen the ugly little things, and was about to swim after her. But then I noticed her reaching for something on her belt. It was a small black oval shaped container that she threw at the deformed fish without hesitation. The thing blew up the moment it reached the mutant creatures, leaving behind only chunks of green and gray flesh, and small rainbow colored lights.

_Whoa. That was pretty cool. _

Rikku turned around and waved at me to follow her as she descended into a giant hole in the ship. I followed her quickly, eager to see what would happen next. This little adventure suddenly didn't seem so bad anymore.

* * *

After fighting with more mutated fish and playing around with the sunken craft we went back up to the ship. Rikku immediately disappeared with the shave-head from earlier, and left me behind to fend for myself. I tried to follow the other strangers inside the ship but they just yelled something in their bizarre language, and pushed me back out.

_Bastards._

I don't know how long I was out there before Rikku came back with a tray of food. I immediately forgave her for ditching me earlier and promptly launched myself at the food. Not ten seconds later I began choking from attempting to inhale my meal. Yeah, not one of my brightest moments.

"Hey slow down!" Rikku cried, smacking me on the back a few times then handing me a jug of water. I took it gratefully, and between the bottle and the plate, I finished my dinner in a matter of minutes.

"Oh yeah, that hit the spot," I commented, patting my stomach. I felt like the cat that had gotten both the Canary and the family's pet goldfish, Gill. Food always did make me feel better.

Rikku rolled her eyes and sat down in front of me. "You're a very odd boy, Tidus."

"Nah, just one of a kind," I said, winking at her.

She giggled and shook her head like most girls did whenever I said something cute or clever.

"So did you guys find what you were looking for?" I asked.

"Yes. We should be able to salvage the ship," Rikku answered, tapping her bottom lip in thought.

"Cool." I nodded my head before finally asking a question that had been bugging me for some time, "So who are you guys, anyway?"

Rikku looked surprised. "We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell?" Then she suddenly tensed up and looked at me suspiciously. "Wait. You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?"

I snorted and shook my head. "Please. I don't even know what an Al Bhed is."

Rikku relaxed and regarded me now with curiosity. "Really? Where are you from?"

"Zanarkand. I'm a blitzball player. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" I cheered, raising one arm in victory.

Rikku didn't seem as shocked or awed like most people were when I told them what team I played for. She actually looked like someone had just told her the moon was made of cheese, and that men could have babies.

"Did you hit your head or something?"

"Um, you guys hit me," I reminded her. I decided to be nice and not mention that they also kicked me, kidnapped me, were forcing me to work for them and kept treating me like I was a very contagious, very gross disease.

Rikku at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Oh, right. Do you remember anything before that?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Got a few days?" Then I told her. I told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand. About life there, blitzball, and Sin's attack… and about how Auron and I were engulfed in this light.

I left out the dreams though. They didn't seem important enough to mention at the time. Actually, I figured they were just part of my very overactive imagination. If I could envision my dead father degrading me every time I did something stupid, then the fayth dreams really didn't seem that far off.

At the end of it, Rikku was looking at me so solemnly that I had to ask, "Did I say something funny?"

"You were near Sin," she said slowly, like she couldn't believe it. "They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. So maybe you just had some kind of dream?" Then she perked up, trying (and failing) to comfort me by saying, "But don't worry, you'll be better in no time."

I just looked at her like _she_ was the one who was batshit insane. "Are you telling me I'm sick?"

Rikku nodded. "Because of Sin's toxin, yeah."

"You sure?" I pressed.

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So… no one plays blitzball there. Sorry." Rikku gave me a sympathetic smile.

I shook my head in denial and jumped to my feet to pace. "No. No that can't be. I _saw_ Sin attack Zanarkand. I saw it! And, and that boy, the fayth, he said it was meant to be!"

"Wait, did you say fayth? Like, the fayth _fayth_? That fayth?" Rikku asked, also rising.

"I don't know; I just know what he told me," I said absentmindedly. I wasn't really paying attention to her. I was too busy trying to get my head together. That was kind of hard because my mind felt like a color wheel at the time. When it was still or slow, things were separate, like primary colors: _I live in Zanarkand… I had parents… I have a childhood… I play blitzball… I have Auron… _

But then, when it sped up, the colors blended and everything became a blurry mess. _Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago by Sin… Sin destroyed Zanarkand in front of me just yesterday… Zanarkand is __**gone**__…_

"This makes no sense," I muttered, tearing at my hair and nearly pulling strands out. "No, no it can't be real. Am I dreaming again?"

Rikku interrupted my trip into loony lane with a soft call. "Tidus…"

I turned and stared at her with unmasked irritation. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I was trying to figure out if my life was a lie or not. "What?"

"When you mentioned fayth… do you mean Yevon's fayth?" she asked slowly, like she was trying to figure out the correct words to phrase her question.

I shrugged uncaringly. "I don't know. He said he was a dream and a dreamer. Whatever that means."

Rikku's eyes went wide and her mouth opened to form a small O. She stared at me like she had never seen me before. "A-Are you a, a summoner?"

"A what?" I shook my head. "No. I don't even know what a summoner is."

"A summoner is someone with the ability to summon aeons to fight Sin," Rikku quickly explained.

"Aeon?" I repeated. That was the only important word I had caught in her explanation. "Then that's what he meant when he told me to get Anima. She's an aeon at Baaj temple. It's supposed to be around here somewhere."

Rikku was silent for a moment before finally speaking up again. "Hey, listen, why don't we go there? To Baaj temple, I mean. If we do then maybe we can find some answers to your questions. What do you say?"

I thought about the idea for a moment. It probably would be a good idea to go visit this Anima and get some answers, but I gotta admit that the idea scared me. If I went there that meant answers, which meant more questions, which equaled more confusion. I was having a hard enough time now dealing with the idea that my home was possibly destroyed a thousand years ago. I didn't want to deal with any more than that.

_Being a little pussy again, huh? Why don't you ever face things like a man?_ Jecht sneered at me, and suddenly my previous hesitation was gone, and I was making my choice without thinking about it.

_Fuck you,_ I snarled back, and turned to face Rikku. "Do you know where it is?"

Rikku nodded slowly. "I think so. I mean, I have an idea of where it might be."

"Good. Then take me there."

* * *

If I had to pick one word to describe the Baaj Temple, then I would have to pick creepy. Actually I don't think creepy did it justice. Spine-chilling, old, haunted, bizarre, irritating… those words are more appropriate terms.

The temple turned out to be underwater, which is what I found bizarre. Why was there still a temple under a bunch of rubble and water? I could only wonder.

The thing that was irritating was the temple was guarded by a big-ass fish thing that we barely managed to get away from. When we finally got inside the damn place I was already beginning to regret going to it.

"What are those things that keep attacking us?" I asked Rikku as I shook water out of my hair.

"Fiends. They say that when a person dies and they don't have their spirit sent then they become fiends," Rikku told me, sticking close to my side. She was nervous about being in the temple. I didn't blame her. I was nervous too.

"So have you ever seen an aeon before?" I asked as we made our way up the old stone steps to the looming doorway.

"A few times from a distance. There are a lot of different aeons so it's hard to place them all," she answered. She jumped and wrapped her hand around my forearm as the door screeched open at our presence. I was suddenly strongly reminded of a scary horror movie.

"Okaaaay. That was very creepy," I mumbled, feeling goose bumps rise over my flesh. Rikku whimpered next to me, and wrapped her other hand around my arm as we entered the temple.

If I thought the outside was creepy than the inside was even worse. It was cold and haunting and a bit… well, a bit sad. Some untold sorrow hung in the air of the forgotten temple like a ghost never laid to rest.

"So do we go through that door?" I asked my companion, pointing at the door protected by a strange set of markings.

"I think so… but we need to open it first. I think we do that with those spheres," answered Rikku.

I looked to see what she meant and noticed that in front of each statue lined up on the sides were different colored orbs. I dragged Rikku with me over to a yellow one and reached out to touch it. The moment I did it began to glow brighter and brighter before disappearing completely; leaving behind a set of markings that floated behind the statue.

Rikku and I stared at it in mute shock before looking at each other in silent agreement to do the same with the other spheres. The quicker we talked to Anima, the quicker we could leave the place.

When all the spheres were gone the strange barrier protecting the door shattered into little shards of rainbow lights. I was halfway to the door leading to Anima when Rikku caught up to me, and resumed her previous occupation as my leech.

The chamber that held Anima is something I remember vividly. I think maybe it's because it was the first chamber of the fayth that I had ever visited. Or maybe it was because Anima became so important to me. I don't know. Maybe it's a mixture of both.

Anyway, the chamber. It was big and built in the shape of a circle with a tall ceiling that didn't seem to end. Runes I didn't understand decorated every surface of the room. In the center, trapped under a clear surface built into the ground, was a statue of a dark haired woman being encased by what looked like a giant Venus flytrap.

"Is that Anima?" I asked Rikku, looking down at her.

Rikku nibbled on her lower lip in thought. "Maybe. I'm not really sure."

I turned back to the odd statue-thing. "Well. Only one way to find out."

I untangled Rikku from my arm and walked over to the circle to kneel down next to. Without thinking, (I tend to do that a lot) I reached out and touched the clear surface.

The moment that my skin touched that smooth surface a shocking cold was running from my fingers up my arm to engulf my entire body. Then the heat came and pulled me back to my senses, and I was instinctively pulling away.

"Damn," I cursed, falling back on my behind with Rikku coming to my aid.

"Tidus!" she cried, touching my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

I didn't get the chance to answer her. There was a flash of white light that momentarily blinded the two of us before fading away to reveal the one we had come to see.

The first thing I noticed about Anima was that she was a human woman who was see-through. The second thing was that she was very beautiful and elegant looking with a long blue and white dress, and gold jewelry. The final thing I noticed was how sad her lovely blue eyes were.

"Are you Anima?" I asked without thinking. Once again, I do that a lot.

"I am the fayth of Anima," the woman corrected, her voice sounding like an echo of a woman's.

"Is there a difference?" I wondered.

"No," the not-sort-of-Anima said.

I tried to figure out the logic of that statement and failed spectacularly.

"Will you tell me your name, child?" asked the maybe-Anima, patiently.

"Huh? Oh, I'm Tidus and this is Rikku," I introduced, pointing to the girl trying to mold herself into my back. "We're here because I was told by this boy in my dreams to come to you for help."

Anima seemed to tilt her head to the side in a curious manner. "Oh? I suppose I may grant you a piece of my power to protect you, summoner."

My mind went blank at her statement. "What? I'm not a summoner."

Anima blinked at me. "Yes you are."

"No, I'm not. I'm a blitzball player. See, my necklace even proves it," I said, holding up the blitzball pendent I had worn since I was ten as proof.

Anima smiled at me like my one of female teachers used to whenever I said something incredibly stupid, but in a cute way. I hated that look. "Tidus, only a summoner could call me forth. You are a summoner."

"I knew it!" shrieked Rikku, making me jump. For a moment, I had forgotten she was there.

"Knew what?" I asked, looking back at the blond.

"I had a feeling you were a summoner and I was right!" Rikku shouted triumphantly. She seemed very pleased with herself over this fact. I decided to be nice and let her bask in her victory for a short while before stealing her thunder.

"Sorry, girlies, but you're both wrong. I can't be a summoner since I'm not even from… where am I again?" I looked to Rikku for help.

"Spira," she supplied.

"Yeah, Spira. I'm not from Spira. I'm from Zanarkand. See? So I can't be a summoner," I explained, believing my logic to be sound.

"Um, actually Zanarkand is _in_ Spira," Rikku informed me, totally shattering my 'sound' logic.

_Damn!_

"Zanarkand," repeated Anima, catching our attention once more. She stared down at me hard for a moment until something seemed to click in her mind. "Ahhh. So you're the one."

"One? One what?" I asked, feeling my stomach coil uneasily. _I knew coming to this stupid temple was a bad idea. Seriously, the creepy décor should have tipped me off that something was wrong with it. Tidus, why don't you ever think these things through?_

Anima looked at me with what seemed like a mix of pity and sympathy. "The oldest of the fayth have decided that Sin must come to a permanent end so that we all may finally rest in peace. They have chosen you to be the summoner to bring about that end."

Rikku and I stared back at the transparent woman in silence as our brains tried to make sense of the information. Finally Rikku let out a whistle and said, "Wow! So you're like a Super Summoner or something, huh?"

I ignored the awestruck girl next to me to continue staring at Anima in disbelief. "What? What do you mean I was _chosen_ to be a summoner? I never agreed to that! I wasn't even _asked_!"

"I'm afraid you don't really have a choice in this. If you wish to go home then you must complete the task given to you."

"But that's not fair!" I cried, knowing I was whining and not giving a damn. "I don't want to be summoner! I just want to go home!"

"And in the end you will," promised Anima as she raised her arms high. "Now come, summoner. I will bestow you with my power of the Dark Aeon, Anima. Use it to destroy Sin, and free us all."

A dark ball of energy was formed between Anima's hands that she aimed towards me. I didn't have a chance to run when it was shot into my chest with a force that sent me flying back. I hit the floor with a solid 'thud' while Rikku screamed my name in the background. My body tingled as her power rushed through me and linked us together in the most intimate way possible. Finally the strange invader (or was it aeon?) settled in a corner of my mind, and I finally felt sort-of normal again.

"Oww," I hissed, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head. Rikku kneeled down next to me and tentatively touched my arm.

"Are you, I mean, I can't believe that—" Rikku seemed to be having a hard time getting her words out in complete sentences. "What just happened here?"

"I think," I said with more calmness than I actually felt, "that I was just forcibly given an aeon."

* * *

When Rikku and I got back to the ship it was dark and drizzling. Neither of us spoke as I pulled off my goggles and tossed them to the ground uncaringly. I marched over to the other side of the boat and leaned against the rail to stare out at the dark, bleak sea.

I was pissed. Actually I was pissed, lost, depressed, and a bit homesick. But mostly pissed. In my entire lifespan no one had ever forced me to do something that I didn't want to do. My parents never cared enough to make me do something, and even Auron seemed to let me do pretty much what I wanted. Well, granted that I stayed in school and didn't die. Those were the two main rules he gave me to live by. Oh, and to never touch his chocolate stash. The man was a secret chocoholic.

But of course the _fayth_ had to be different and make me into something I'm not. Like I was their freaking puppet to control and manipulate. The nerve of them. _The nerve!_

"Tidus." Rikku came to stand next to me, trying her best to smile. "Tidus, come on. Don't be so mad. I mean, they only made you into a summoner. It's not like they turned you into a fiend or something."

"That's not the point," I muttered, folding my arms over the metal rail. "They turned me into something I'm not. Something I didn't want to be. And that's not right."

"Well you heard why. They want you to save Spira," Rikku reminded. Like _that_ was supposed to make me feel better.

I shook my head. "Yeah, well, they picked the wrong guy. I can't save anyone. I couldn't even keep my goldfish alive for more than a week! How can anyone expect _me_ to save a world I've been in for only, what, a day?"

Rikku was quiet at that. I glared down at the murky water below in disdain. I was really beginning to despise this dark world that seemed to pale so much when compared to my own bright one.

"You said that Sin destroyed your Zanarkand," Rikku said suddenly. I glanced at her to find her green gaze locked on the horizon with an unrecognizable look in them. "Well did you know that Sin has been destroying Spira for a thousand years?"

I stared at her in shock. "What?"

"Yeah. Summoners have been sacrificing their lives and the lives of their guardians for a thousand years in order to bring peace to Spira. But of course it never lasts. A few years of peace and then Sin returns to start another cycle of death and destruction again." Rikku turned her eyes to meet mine, and I found that I couldn't hold her gaze for long. There was something in her odd green eyes that made me feel unbearably guilty.

"But now you're here. A boy from a thousand years ago who the fayth themselves have chosen to end Sin once and for all. Don't you realize what that means?" she whispered.

I didn't reply. I mean really, what could I say to _that_? Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you looked at it) I didn't have to. Rikku's brother—the blond with the bad haircut—came bursting out onto the deck yelling something in their bizarre language.

"What did he say?" I asked Rikku, looking to her only to see the color literally drop from her face.

"Sin has been spotted nearby," she whispered, gripping the rail tightly.

"Where?" I looked over the ship into the dark ocean to see if I could spot it. All I saw was the same dark water. "Are you sure—"

I was interrupted in mid-sentence as the ship was pushed upwards from the other side. Since I was already on the side, I naturally went overboard. Rikku was a bit luckier since her brother grabbed her the moment the ship started moving.

I hit the water with a splash that was drowned out by the shrieking of metal as the ship was tossed around like it was nothing more than a child's toy. I only got a glimpse of the teetering craft and the emerging Sin before the water pulled me down into a whirlpool that dragged me off to my next destination.

I could only hope that it was Zanarkand.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

**1)** "Kill it! It's a fiend!"

"What the hell is he saying?"

"Who cares? Kill it already!"

"Are you sure? I've never seen a fiend look like that before."

"Maybe it's a new kind. Either way, I think we should kill it just to be safe."

"No! It could just be a normal human boy."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we kill it. For now we bring it with us."

"Sorry."

**2)** "Alright listen up! My sister has demanded that I spare you for reasons I can't imagine. Rather than listen to her whine, I have agreed. But in return for your life, you're going to have to earn your keep by working. Rikku, translate!"

**3)** "Is he ready?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then take him with you and try not to get killed."

"Brother!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ahh, my first FFX fic. Mostly started on a whim after I read that all the inhabitants of Dream Zanarkand are summoners, and then got a mental image of Tidus dressed as Yuna. After I laughed until my side started to hurt, I began to consider the idea more seriously, and then began to wonder _why_ the fayth didn't just send one of their own summoners to defeat Sin. So I began to play around with the idea and before I knew it, I was writing Tidus's adventure as a summoner. The power of fanfiction is scary.

I apologize if Tidus is a bit OOC since this is my first time writing him. I probably made him more sarcastic than he is in the game, but I think it kind of suits him. I mean, he's the optimistic and bright type so I figure he'd try to make serious situations more bearable with humor. Plus, he lived with Auron. You don't live with someone like him and _not_ pick up the art of sarcasm. It's just not possible.

You'll also notice that this story does not follow the game's time/events sequence perfectly. That's because I need to change some things to make others work. For example, I sent Tidus into Spira a couple weeks earlier than in the game because… well you'll find out why later. I also changed some dreams/visions of his so that they would make more sense in this story.

**Silver pup**


	2. Part I: Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** I**:** C**hapter** T**wo

* * *

_I was back in the dreamscape of the pretend Zanarkand. This time I was outside my boathouse that I had lived in for nearly all my life._

"_Come out _now_. I know you're there," I called, looking around for the boy that I knew would be skulking around._

"**I am here. I am always here."**

_I turned around and found the familiar twerp in purple standing there. "You! What did you do to me, huh? Why did you turn me into some sort of summoner without my permission?"_

"**Because we need you."**

_I blinked, surprised by the simply answer. "What?"_

"**We need you to release us. We need you to save us. We need **_**you**_**."**

_His explanation left me stunned. No one had ever said that they needed __**me**__ before. Wanted me, yes, but need? No. Never._

"**When you awaken you will find yourself in Luca. There you can locate your guardian and begin your mission."**

"_Guardian? Wait, do you mean Auron?"_

"**Do you know of anyone else with that title?"**

_Oh, great. The kid was developing a sense of humor. Lovely._

"**Do you have any more meaningless questions to ask?"**

"_Would you answer them if I did?" I countered. I wasn't too pleased being patronized by a kid half my size._

_The boy only smiled as the world around me went fuzzy and then black._

* * *

Unlike the other multiple times when I had been knocked unconscious against my will, this time when I woke up it was on a soft and warm bed instead of a cold and hard surface. It was so nice that I spent about five minutes just laying there breathing in the scent of incense, dust, green tea, and basking in the sheer awesomeness of a good bed.

And then _she_ spoke up.

"Are you ever going to get up, or are you just going to keep laying there playing dead?" asked a sultry female's voice.

Naturally my eyes snapped opened and zoomed in on the speaker. After I blinked the blurriness away I realized I was looking at an older woman wearing odd green and white robes with a hairstyle that looked like it was going for buns and failed. Her face was pretty enough, but her soulful hazel eyes were clearly her best feature.

"Who are you?" I asked. Or rather tried to and failed since my throat was dry and scratchy, and naturally mangled my words into odd gasps and grunts.

"Here." The woman helped me sit up and handed me a glass of water that I quickly lugged down. It was nice and cool so I made sure to drink it all before handing the cup back to her.

"Thanks," I rasped, lying back down on my nice bed. I watched her sit down on the cushioned chair next to me as my senses slowly came back to me.

"Who are you?" I asked when my voice was finally working right.

"I am Belgemine," the woman introduced, smiling slightly. "And you are?"

"Tidus." I gazed around the strange room decorated with strange paintings, odd furniture and bead hangings. I felt like I was in a fortuneteller's shop. "Where am I?"

"Luca. I found you near the docks two days ago, unconscious," explained Belgemine. She crossed one long leg over the other and leaned back into her chair and studied me with captivating eyes.

"So, boyo, want to tell me how you ended up floating in the water?"

"Um, I'm not sure if I should. The last person I told my story to thought I was sick in the head," I confided, thinking of Rikku.

Belgemine arched a slim brow while her eyes gleamed even brighter with curiosity and interest. "Oh really? Then it must be quite a story. I should get a snack."

I stared at the woman as she stood up and walked away to another part of the house-apartment-room-wherever-the-hell-I-was. I had no idea if she was joking or not so I sat up to see if I could get a better look at what she was doing, and finally noticed a disturbing fact.

"I'm naked!" I yelled, immediately pulling my blanket up to my chin.

Belgemine heard me and laughed at my embarrassment. "Well of course you are. I had to get you out of that wet suit so I could make sure you weren't injured."

I sunk deeper into the bed as my face turned a nice cherry red color. I wasn't usually so self-conscious, but the last time an older woman saw me in my birthday suit had been my mom. And I was six. Yeah. 'Nuf said.

Belgemine came back carrying a tray with what looked like food. "Sit up," she commanded, nodding to me.

Obediently I sat up and pushed the blankets to my hips as the tray was set on my lap. On the tray was a bowl of what looked like soup, a piece of bread, and a glass of milk. I felt my stomach gurgle in appreciation.

"So, how about that tale?" asked Belgemine, reclaiming her former seat.

I ripped off a piece of bread and dipped it in the soup. "Sure, but where should I start?"

Belgemine smirked in clear amusement. "The beginning would be good."

And so, like I did with Rikku, I told Belgemine my story. Only this time at the end she didn't look at me like I was retarded; actually, she looked like believed me.

"So the fayth turned you into a summoner," she mused, rubbing her chin in thought.

I nodded. "Yeah. Something about putting a stop to Sin for good. Anima said that if I did then I would be able to go back to Zanarkand."

"And you have Anima as an aeon, correct?"

"I guess. I mean, I feel _something_ new in me since she threw that thing at my chest." I couldn't help but reach up and rub the spot where I had gotten hit. It was still tender.

"Mmm." Belgemine studied me very carefully, obviously weighing the truth in my words. I couldn't read the expression in her eyes, but I really did hope she believed me. I hate to get carted off to the loony bin at seventeen.

"Tidus, I think I believe you," she finally said, and I did a mental cheer. "You don't seem the type to lie or trick others, and I've been around long enough to get an idea of how the fayth work. Not to mention, I can feel the power of a powerful aeon surrounding you."

"Feel? How can you feel an aeon?"

"I too am a summoner, and as a summoner you eventually learn how to spot your fellows in the crowd."

"Huh. Interesting." I lifted up my bowl and gulped down the rest of my soup before setting it down, and wiped my mouth. "So what do you think I should do now?"

"Honestly? Fulfill the fayth's demands and defeat Sin for good," said Belgemine, standing up and taking my tray away. "That's probably the only way you'll get to go home."

"I was afraid of that," I muttered, sinking into the bed. "Belgemine, I don't think I can do that. I don't even know what a summoner _does,_ let alone a way to defeat Sin.

"Then I guess I'll have to teach you won't I?" Belgemine said as she came back holding a bundle of cloth. "Put these clothes on first. Then I'll educate you all about Spira and what you need to do to save it."

* * *

Belgemine made good on her promise and by the end of that day I finally knew what a summoner was. Apparently they were people with the ability to speak with the fayth and summon aeons. They had the greatest responsibility of all: to journey to Zanarkand, obtain the Final Aeon and destroy Sin. Doing this would give Spira a decade of Calm before Sin returned.

Summoners also performed the sending which is a ritual that guides the souls of the dead to peace on the Farplane. They do this through a sort of dance with their staff. I told Belgemine if she thought I was going to dance around with a stick than she was as twisted as her hairdo.

She hit me over the head with a book after that.

She did that every time I said something sarcastic or degrading about Spira. This was often because I found a lot of stuff about Spira wacky. I'm still surprised that at the end of the day I didn't have a concussion.

Despite the constant smacks, Belgemine managed to drill into me everything I would need to know about Spira. She told me about the fayth, aeons, temples, roles, races, landscapes, and even gave me a brief history lesson on the past summoners who defeated Sin. It was during this lesson that I ended up learning something I would have rather not known.

"Lady Yunalesca was the first summoner to ever defeat Sin over a millennium ago," said Belgemine, showing me a picture of a woman with white hair wearing what looked like a bunch of ribbons and some dental floss.

"How many summoners have defeated Sin since her?" I asked, trying not to stare at the picture. I had seen whores with more clothes than this woman.

"Four. After Yunalesca there was Gandof, Ohalland, Yocun, and lastly Braska." Belgemine showed me a picture of each summoner. At the last one I saw something that made my heart skip a beat.

"Who are they?" I asked, pointing to the two men standing next to the summoner Braska. Though younger and more jaded looking than from what I remembered, I still recognized the image of my guardian and old man.

"Those were High Summoners Braska's guardians. The one on the left is Sir Jecht and the one to the right is Sir Auron," explained Belgemine, looking at me curiously. "Why?"

"Because the one on my left is my old man, and other has been my guardian for the past ten years," I answered dully.

Belgemine stared at me and then at the picture of Jecht and then back at me. "Oh. I can see a… faint resemblance."

"Yeah, I look more like my mom than him. I'm forever grateful for that because I think if I did look like Jecht, then I probably would've shot myself in the face long ago."

"Why? I think your father was very handsome," she purred, staring at my old man appreciatively.

I made a gagging noise at that. "Oh gross. Please, don't say such nasty things in my hearing. It's bad enough since he's my dad, but even worse since I hate him."

"You hate you him? Why?" Belgemine didn't seem really surprised or horrified to hear this, only curious.

"Because he was a crappy father," I told her, thinking back to those seven (short) horrible years I spent with him.

_No, you were just a worthless son,_ Jecht's voice growled at me in my head.

_Not as worthless as you,_ I countered, and then turned back to Belgemine.

"So why did only four summoners manage to stop Sin over a period of a thousand years?"

"A summoner's pilgrimage is a very dangerous affair. They have to travel great distances while dealing with an unimaginable amount of fiends, harsh climate conditions and the knowledge that at the end of their journey they will die," she explained seriously.

I gaped at her in a horrified sort of shock. "What? I don't get this! Why would they put themselves through all _that_?"

She paused and stared at me intensely. The look gave me a strange sense of déjà vu, and it wasn't long before I realized that Rikku had given me the same look when she was telling me about Sin.

"They do it because they want to protect the people of Spira. They want to give them a break from the death and despair and give them a chance at life and happiness," said my teacher, staring at me with sad, sad eyes.

"I see," I mumbled, looking down at my hands. Actually, I didn't see. Despite my dysfunctional relationship with my parents, my life had been pretty damn good. To imagine living in the sort of horror that Belgemine described was a bit beyond me.

Of course, hearing that also made me wonder yet again why _I_ was chosen to save Spira. I wasn't from this world; I didn't have the slightest idea what these people must go through on a daily bases. So how could I save them when I couldn't even relate to them?

"Now summoners also have guardians with them on their pilgrimage," Belgemine said, continuing her lecture of Spira 101. "They are there to protect them through the whole journey."

"Guardians?" I repeated, blinking. "Wait, wasn't that what you said Auron and Jecht were? Braska's guardians?"

"Yes." She smiled, pleased over something. I didn't know what. "Sir Auron and Sir Jecht were his protectors ten years ago when he made his pilgrimage and defeated Sin. No one has seen them since though."

Ten years. Ten years ago my old man disappeared, assumed dead. Ten years ago Auron showed up saying he was a friend of Jecht's, and was going to watch over me from now on. Ten years ago Jecht and Auron were guardians to the same summoner. Everything I never understood was suddenly clicking into place.

"It makes sense now," I murmured out loud.

"What does?" asked Belgemine.

I looked up to find her staring at me. I blinked a few time then waved my hand at the picture of Jecht, Auron, and Braska.

"Everything. My old man disappeared ten years ago, and then Auron became my guardian not too long after. I always wondered why he was there but all he ever said was that he was a friend of Jecht's. Now I understand what he meant."

Belgemine thought over my words carefully before nodding in agreement. "Yes, that does seem possible. Actually it's more than possible; it sounds like the truth."

She was right. It did sound like the truth. But there were still many things about it that puzzled me. Like how did Jecht end up in Spira in the first place? Where was he now? Why had Auron come to Zanarkand to watch over me? And most importantly, why didn't he tell me any of this?

"I'm gonna heckle him for keeping this from me," I mumbled. "Whenever the hell he decides to show up."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll appear soon enough," she said airily.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because the blitzball tournament will be starting in two weeks, and people from all over Spira will be coming here to Luca to enjoy it."

It didn't take me long to figure that one out. "And Auron could be one of them!"

Belgemine nodded. "Exactly. So don't worry; you'll get some answers soon enough."

True, but I had to wonder if I would I like those answers.

I could only wait and see.

* * *

I spent two days cooped up in Belgemine's apartment before I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of there and do something other than read about summoners and Spira while laying in bed 'resting'. So I wrote down a quick note for Belgemine before taking off to explore the city of Luca.

I gotta say that I was a bit impressed with what I saw. Technology and size wise Luca couldn't compare to Zanarkand, but it made up for it in other ways. Luca was built next to the sea in a dent of a land that was surrounded by green mountains. Most of the city seemed to be built out of some sort of white brick I had never seen before with the occasional red and blue stones adding some verity to it.

And the people there were… interesting. They were certainly more jaded and weary than what I was used to, but at the same time they were also more… stupid? No, I think gullible would be a better word. They were so easily pleased over the littlest of things, and were completely dedicated to their religion. It was only after seeing these people did I realize what Belgemine meant when she said Yevon ruled their world.

Eventually I found my way to the docks that Belgemine claimed to have found me. While there I asked some people if anything unusual had happened recently. They said the only big thing that happened was that Sin had showed up for a moment only to disappear again.

It didn't take me long to connect the dots after I heard that. It was obvious Sin was playing the role of my personal cab driver. Taking me from Zanarkand a thousand years ago to present day Spira in under a day. What a kick, huh?

_Sin travel! The cheapest and quickest way to go!_

The thought made me laugh out loud. I attracted some odd stares at that but ignored them. I was used to being stared at. Either because I was Jecht's boy or because I was a pretty boy, people always noticed me.

Anyway, after I explored the docks I wandered about Luca taking in as much of the sights as I could. I had fun checking out the food and comparing it to my own back home. Surprisingly there were a lot of similarities between them. I guess people's diet don't change much over a thousand years.

I was right in the middle of studying this huge crystal thingy that looked like it was some kind of monument, when someone ran into my back. There was a soft cry as I stumbled forward before catching my balance, then pivoted around to see who it was.

The attacker was a girl who looked around my age, maybe a bit younger. Strands of light brown hair framed an innocent face taken up mostly by large honey-brown eyes. She wore a green outfit that was heavily padded along with a pair of pointy shoes and an equally pointy hat. Looking at her, I was strongly reminded of an elf.

"You okay?" I asked the girl (or perhaps elf?), holding out a hand.

"O-Oh, um, yes, I'm okay," she stammered, taking my hand. I lifted her up with little effort, surprised at how light she was. I guess the clothes made her look bigger than she really was.

"I-I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't mean to run into you," she said, wringing her hands anxiously. Her brown eyes were clearly showing how scared and embarrassed she was over this. It made me feel a bit bad for her.

So I gave her an extra bright smile and just shrugged dismissively. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm fine, see? No marks."

The girl looked me up and down before slowly nodding. "True. But I still apologize for it. It was very rude of me."

I mentally sighed at her insistence in apologizing to me. I don't really like people who insist on making a big deal out of nothing. So I decided to distract her by changing the subject. "My name's Tidus. What's yours?"

"Oh! I am Shelinda. Yevon's blessing upon you," said Shelinda, doing that hand-bow thing Belgemine had showed me.

"Uhh, likewise," I said, hastily copying her. I felt silly doing something considered polite and respectful when in actuality it was just a sign of victory made by blitzball players.

Shelinda smiled at me before blinking a few times as she noticed my clothes. "Are you… from around here, Tidus?"

I copied her and looked down at my outfit. Belgemine had taken the initiative and bought me the usual robes that most male summoners wore in order to better blend in. When I saw it I told her, quite flatly, the only that the only way I would wear a heavily layered dress was if I was dead and rotting.

Belgemine didn't take too well to that idea. We ended up getting into an argument over it that lasted for fifteen minutes before finally coming to an agreement. I would wear part of the summoner uniform and the rest could be clothes of my own choice.

That's why I was wearing dark blue jeans ripped a little bit below the knee with black and blue running shoes along with a black and yellow shirt. Over that was a sleeveless white robe with blue designs etched across it, and a light blue sash. I also had on black fingerless gloves with my blitzball pendent, silver bracelet, and earring that I hadn't taken off with my uniform when I was back with Rikku and the Al Bhed.

I'm sure I probably look odd to the people of Spira but, hey, their clothes look weird to me so it evens out.

"Um, no, not really. I've just arrived recently," I said, laughing awkwardly and scratching the back of my head. "I was just walking around Luca, trying to get used to it. It's all pretty different from my home."

"Yes, visitors are usually very awed by Luca's beauty. I was the same way when I first came here," said Shelinda, beaming. "Is there any particular place you wanted to visit?"

"Well I was looking for the blitzball stadium," I admitted.

"Oh, I know where that is! Would you like me to take you there?" she asked, looking very, very hopeful.

I couldn't help but give in to her plea. I always did whenever a cute girl with big eyes looked at me like that. I blame it on the lack of hugs I got from my mom as a kid.

Shelinda got me to the blitzball sphere in less than ten minutes. When we got there I found I wasn't very impressed. It was small, old, and lacked a lot of the modern gear that mine had back in Zanarkand. It made feel really bad for the blitzball players that this was the best they had to play with.

"It's nice isn't it?" Shelinda asked me as we stood in the empty stands above an equally empty sphere.

I nodded and forced a polite smile onto my face. With anyone else I would have been honest and told them that I thought it was a piece of crap, but for some reason with Shelinda I found I couldn't do that. I couldn't ruin the proud and eager smile she wore with my usual bluntness.

So instead I lied, and said, "Oh yes, very nice. Do you know who will be playing in the tournament?"

A faint pink colored Shelinda's creamy cheeks as she looked up at me. "O-Oh I don't really know…"

I grinned at her brightly. "Not a sports fan, huh?"

My companion turned a darker shade of pink that made me laugh. "Hey, don't worry about it. Not everyone has to like blitzball."

She looked relieved to hear that. "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't appreciate blitzball and what it does for Spira, but I just don't understand it that well."

"Well that's normal. There are a lot of things I don't get either," I said, thinking of the mystery that was peach flavored applesauce.

Shelinda smiled at me gratefully.

"So what do you do here in the lovely Luca?" I asked, sitting down on the front row stand.

"Oh nothing important. I'm just an acolyte for the temples," Shelinda answered, taking a seat next to me. "What do you do?"

"Well I'm a blitzball player firstly and an amateur summoner secondly," I explained, and immediately regretted it when I saw the effect it had on my companion.

Shelinda's face had lit up like a shopaholic did when hearing about a Blue Light Special. "You're a summoner? Oh, how wonderful! I've never met a summoner my own age before. How long have you been one?"

"Uhh, a few days?" I offered, scooting a bit a few inches away from her. Her expression was just like the kind that my fangirls back in Zanarkand used to wear before they mobbed me. It was always scary look to see on a woman's face.

"Oh, wow. So when are you going to be starting your pilgrimage to destroy Sin?" she asked, leaning in closer to me.

"I don't know. When I find some guardians?" I suggested with a shrug. Actually, I didn't even know if I was going to go through with the stupid pilgrimage. Going on a long dangerous journey only to die at the end of it just to save a world I wasn't even a part of? Yeah, excuse me if I'm a bit hesitant. And what about going back to _my_ Zanarkand? Anima said that if I did the pilgrimage then I could go home, but that would be kind of hard if I was gonna to die before that.

Is it my imagination, or are the fayth sending me mixed signals?

"You don't have any potential guardians?" Shelinda looked scandalized to hear this like it was the Ultimate Crime. But then her shocked expression melted into one of determination. "Would you like me to find you some?"

"No, that's okay. I kinda have someone in mind already. I just have to wait for him to get here so I can ask him," I quickly reassured her. The last thing I needed was an entourage following me around for a journey I didn't even know I was going to take.

Her face drooped in disappointment. "A-Are you sure? Because it wouldn't be any trouble for me, and I really do want to help you."

"I'm sure, Shelinda." I turned and looked out at the stadium so I wouldn't have to see her disappointed face. It made me feel bad.

"Well if you're sure…" Shelinda trailed off, and I felt my guilt go up a notch.

I lasted for about ten seconds before the guilt got to me. With a sigh I turned back to face her. "If you want to help me then can you do me a favor?"

Shelinda's face immediately lit up again. "Oh yes, of course. Whatever you need I'll do it."

"Can you keep your eyes and ears open for a man with a red coat and a big sword wearing sunglasses and carrying a gorge? Because he's sorta my unofficial guardian."

The brunette nodded firmly. "Of course. I'll be happy to find your guardian for you, Tidus."

"Cool." We were both silent for a moment before an idea popped into my head that made me grin. "Hey, you hungry?"

"A little bit… why?"

"Because I'm in the mood for some ice-cream and I saw a vendor selling some on the way here," I said, standing up and stretching.

Shelinda quickly stood too and followed me anxiously down the steps. "But I don't have any Gil on me."

"Oh that's okay. We don't need any to get some ice-cream," I replied airily. I looked down at the petite girl next to me, and gave her my—as Auron dubbed it—'here comes trouble' smirk. "I'm going to show you how to eat for free without stealing or committing a crime."

* * *

After I tricked the street vendor into giving Shelinda and I free ice-cream I decided it was time to return to Belgemine's place. So I bid my new friend goodbye with a promise to find her later and wandered back to the small apartment in the middle of Luca.

"I'm back," I called out when I walked through the door. I pulled off my robe and tossed it onto a nearby chair before searching for the apartment's owner. "Belgemine? You home?"

"Tidus!"

The woman I was looking for came hurrying towards me with a frantic look creasing her delicate features. "Where were you?"

I raised an eyebrow at her loud question. "Out. I was exploring Luca. Didn't you get my note?"

"Yes I did, and then nearly had a panic attack after reading it," she snapped. "What were you thinking going off on your own? Don't you know how dangerous it is to wander through an unfamiliar city alone, without any protection?"

"Belgemine, I'm seventeen, not seven," I snapped back, irritated and insulted. "I'm not a stupid, helpless child. I know how to defend myself well enough and what things to watch out for. Just because I didn't grow up with a gigantic whale destroying my home on a weekly bases doesn't mean I'm not unaware of how dangerous the world can be."

Belgemine glared at me for a few more seconds before finally deflating in defeat. "You're right. You're not a child and I'm sorry for treating you like one. But you must understand that I can't help but worry about your safety. You are now an important player in determining Spira's future, and I don't want anything to happen to you before that future can play out."

I felt my anger drain away at her confession. Belgemine was worried not just about me, but for her world's fate as well. To not know where I was must have caused her boatloads of worry and fear. Now it was my turn to play the guilt game.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, making sure to meet her eyes so she could see how sincere I was. "I promise I won't do something like that again."

Belgemine's face softened into a warm smile. "Thank you, Tidus."

"No problem. So… Where were _you_ all day?"

"Making arrangements for us to head to Besaid. They have a temple there you need to visit to obtain another aeon. Then from there we can go to Kilika to get the aeon there and then we'll return here," she explained, walking over to a sit down at a small table covered with a map of Spira.

I followed and sat down on the couch behind her. "That sounds complicated. Why do I have to go to all those places? Can't I just skip those aeons?"

"No. You need to gather ALL the aeons in order to defeat Sin. Including the ones at Besaid and Kilika. We leave tomorrow so it won't take us very long. We'll be back here in a little over a week with plenty of time left to find your guardian."

"Well, all right then. As long as we don't miss Auron then I guess we can go," I mumbled, stretching out on the small sofa. I stared up at the ceiling with my legs hanging off the end of the couch, and wondered how much longer I would have to wait until I could see Auron again.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep on that couch because the next time I opened my eyes it was dark and quiet. I sat up and realized that my shoes were gone and I had a blanket over me. I looked around and spotted Belgemine sleeping on her futon across the room.

_I wonder what time it is,_ I thought, falling back down on the couch.

I pulled my blanket up closer to my chest and winced when I accidently pushed down on the spot where Anima had thrown that ball at me. Even though it had been days since it happened and Belgemine had healed all my wounds, it still hurt every time I pushed against it.

_Damn you Anima! Why did you have to throw it at me instead of giving it to me like a normal person?_ I wondered, closing my eyes and trying to fall back asleep.

I was laying there for about ten seconds before it happened. A light, female voice spoke up to talk to me _in my mind_.

**Because throwing it at you was the only way I could get you to accept it,** the voice commented dryly.

My eyes snapped open and my entire body stiffened. I laid there for a few seconds as the realization I just heard a foreign woman talk to me in my head sunk in.

… _What?_ I thought, not really expecting a reply but getting one anyway.

**I said that throwing it at you was the only way I could get you to accept my aeon,** the voice gently explained.

I narrowed my eyes and finally noticed that the voice speaking to me was familiar. _Very_ familiar…

… _Anima?_

**Indeed. Good evening, young summoner. It seems we meet again.**

I think my brain died for a moment. Or at least went on standby because I completely blanked out. But really, can you blame me? I was hearing a voice speak to me in my head, and it wasn't the usual one that I knew was a figment of my imagination. It was someone else's. I was talking to a stranger in my mind.

_What the hell?_

**Watch your mouth,** scolded Anima. **Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to swear in front of a lady?**

_Hell no. She and my old man swore all the time,_ I replied without thinking. Then paused and slapped myself on the forehead when I realized I was actually having a _conversation_ with the **Voice** **In My** **Head**.

_I've completely lost it. Damnit, I knew sniffing all that glue as a kid was going to come back and haunt me someday. I just didn't think like this._

Anima laughed lightly. **Oh you're a funny boy, summoner. A bit odd perhaps, but funny nonetheless.**

_Gee, thanks,_ I said sarcastically. _Nice to know the _voice in my head_ thinks I'm amusing. Now I'll have something interesting to tell my inmates at the nuthouse._

The fayth let out a sound that sounded like a sigh. **You're not going insane, child. I'm actually speaking to you through the link we share.**

_Link? What link?_

**You don't know?**

_Know __**what**__?_

Anima was silent.

_Anima?_

**All summoners have a bond with the fayth that they make contact with,** Anima finally explained.** However the one that we share is much deeper than that. That is why I can speak with you like this.**

I took a moment to digest all of that. _Oh. Okay. Why?_

**Why what?**

_Why is our bond deeper?_

**Because you are a part of the dream,** Anima said gently.

I rolled my eyes at her answer. Did all fayth have to talk like a fortune cookie?

_What is that supposed to mean, exactly?_

**If you don't understand my answer then that means you have not been told the whole truth. And if you haven't been told the whole truth yet then it is because you are not ready to hear it.**

_Must be one hell of a story then,_ I commented dryly. I was quiet for a moment as I thought over what I had just learned. Apparently I could talk to the fayth not only in my dreams, but in my head too. For some reason I found this kind of easy to accept. Just goes to show you how well I was adjusting to the sheer weirdness that is Spira.

**You should go back to sleep,** Anima finally said after a few minutes of silence. **A boy your age needs his rest.**

I found myself smiling at her command. _You had kids when you were human, huh?_

I didn't need to see Anima to know she was surprised. **How did you know?**

_My friends' mothers used to say the same thing to them whenever I slept over at their houses._

**Didn't your own mother ever tell you that?**

I frowned at the question. _No. I don't think she really cared if I got enough sleep or not._

**I see,** said Anima, quietly.

_Well, I'm going back to sleep. See you in the morning, I guess._

I turned over to lay on my side and pulled my blanket up over my head. It was my favorite sleeping position.

Anima made a humming sound. **Goodnight, summoner.**

_Night, Anima._

* * *

"Tidus, get up."

I groaned and slowly cracked one eye open to see Belgemine standing over me. She was dressed in her usual attire but this time her hair was unbound and slid over her shoulders like brown silk.

"You have nice hair," I commented sleepily. My brain was still making the transition from unconscious to awake so I wasn't really all there yet.

Belgemine blinked at me before smiling. "Thank you. Are you awake yet? We leave for Besaid today, and I still have much to do before then."

I gave a grunt that I guess she took as an affirmative since she straightened up, and walked away saying, "Good. I made you some breakfast and left it on the table. Eat quickly and then get ready."

"Whatever," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I'm a very lazy person when I first wake up so I spent about five minutes just laying there staring at the ceiling as my senses slowly returned to me.

_I wonder how long I was asleep for,_ I mused, letting out a jaw-cracking yawn.

**About six hours give or take a few minutes,** answered Anima. **Good morning, by the way.**

Time seemed to freeze for a second before resuming as the memories from last night rushed back to me. Suddenly I was very wide awake.

_I guess I wasn't dreaming after all,_ I thought, slowly sitting up and crossing my legs. _And good morning too._

**You weren't imagining me,** Anime reassured. Like hearing her talk to me wasn't enough proof.

_So… how deep does this bond go?_ I asked, curious to know more about this strange new development. _Because I don't think I can live with someone else having complete access to my mind._

**Don't worry; you can block me whenever you don't want to speak to me. And I can only look through your mind if you allow me to.**

_That's good. I like my privacy._

**Who doesn't?**

_Good point._ I ran a hand through my wild hair and began combing through the knots. _So what about the other aeons? Will I be able to do this with them too?_

**Most likely. Like I said last night, you share a deeper bond with the fayth than other summoners. Talking to them in your mind is one of the results of such a bond.**

_Well don't I feel special now,_ I thought, snickering. I leaned down and picked up the plate of fruit and cheese that Belgemine had left out for me, and began devouring it.

_Belgemine said we're heading to Besaid today to get another aeon. Do you know which one it is?_ I asked Anima.

**Yes, that would be Valefor. I think you'll like her. She's very sweet.**

_Another female? Aren't there any male fayth?_

**Of course. The boy who you speak to in your dreams is a male fayth.**

_Oh. Right. Duh._

Anima laughed.

"Are you done yet?" asked Belgemine as she walked back into the room. Her hair was set up in its usual style of bun-fans, and I felt a twinge of disappointment.

"You put your hair back up," I said, trying not to whine. "You look prettier with it down."

"It gets in the way when it's down," Belgemine explained as she stopped in front of me. She placed her hands on her hips and looked me over. "Finish eating please. We have a schedule to stick to."

I grunted and gobbled down a few grapes just to appease her.

_She sure is a bossy woman._

**I think she just enjoys having someone to watch over, **Anima commented as Belgemine walked away again.

_Then she should get herself a pet,_ I grumbled, finishing my fruit and starting on the lump of cheese. _Do you think I should tell her about you?_

**If you want. It's your decision. I don't really care either way.**

_I don't want to tell her and then have her not believe me. Or worse, think I'm a freak or something._

**She'd probably be amazed, if anything. It would convince her even more of your value.**

_That's even worse._

Anima gave what felt like an equivalent to a shrug. **You asked.**

_True._

I picked up the last piece of cheese and threw it in my mouth, and then stood up to make my way to where my clean clothes were.

_I think we'll keep you a secret for now. I don't need Belgemine cooing over my 'awesome summoner powers' anymore than she already is._

**As you wish. Shall I leave you while you get dressed?**

_That'd be nice,_ I said wryly. I heard Anima chuckle before her presence faded from my mind as she retreated to wherever she hung out when not needed, and I got ready for the day and my trip to Besaid.

_Valefor, here I come._


	3. Part I: Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** I**:** C**hapter** T**hree

* * *

_Anima?_

**Yes?**

_I'm bored._

**So? What do you want me to do about it?**

_Play tick-tack-toe with me?_

**Again? We've already played it six times.**

_So this one can be the tie breaker. Please?_

A sigh. **Shouldn't you be reading the book that your teacher assigned to you?**

_I'm taking a break. Too much studying gives me a headache._

**Then you shouldn't be playing mental tick-tack-toe again. It will just make your headache worse.**

_Fine, fine. We'll save the tie breaker for later._

**Thank Yevon,** Anima muttered, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at her tone.

It's been a few hours since Belgemine and I had set sail for Besaid. At first I was excited about it and spent the first hour and a half exploring the boat and bugging my fellow passengers. However the novelty faded quickly, and soon I was dying of boredom. Belgemine had tried to ease that monotony by giving me a book to read on Besaid, but I lost interest with that after the first few pages.

_Hey, Anima, you said you were a mother when you were human, right?_ I asked my mental companion.

**Yes. And?**

_Well, do you know what happened to you child, or children?_

Anima was quiet for a long time. I thought she had left, or was ignoring me when she finally said in a tight voice: **I have a son who is still alive.**

_Really? What's his name? What does he do?_

**His name is Seymour Guado, and he is a Maester of Yevon. He is also a summoner.**

_For real? Then does he have you for an aeon too?_

**Yes.** There was something in Anima's tone that made me pause; something… bitter and hard.

_Anima? What's wrong?_ I asked, concerned.

**I'm sorry, I…**

_If you don't want to talk about you don't have to,_ I said quickly. I remember how irritating it was when reporters and journalists used to hound me about Jecht. There are some things you just don't want to talk about.

**No,** Anima said firmly.** I want to talk about it. It's important that you know about him since you'll probably meet him sooner or later.**

**Years ago, in an effort to ease the tension between our two races, I married a Guado named Jyscal. A few years later I gave birth to our son, Seymour. I was overjoyed with his birth but I was the only one.**

**Seymour was viewed by many as an abomination. He was half Guado and half man; an uncommon thing here in Spira. Because of that he was always alone with only me as a source of companionship. So I wanted to give him the strength to live by himself. And thus I became a fayth. But…**

**Because I let him taste power, he began to thirst for more. He was not satisfied with my aeon. He wanted more. More power. Since then he has become a powerful summoner and influential figure in Spira. **

_So he's turned into some power-hungry fiend, then?_

**Yes, but it's more than that. My son is not in his right mind. He spent so many years alone with only his bitter memories and cynical thoughts for company. Hate and anger has twisted him into the man he is today. I know that he's planning something and that it can only bring ruin to Spira.**

_I see._ I mused over what Anima had just told for a little while. Her son Seymour was an emo kid with way too much power and a goal to bring about the apocalypse. Now I should care about this _why_?

_Why did you tell me this? I mean, if he's some big shot then he's not going to notice some little ole' summoner like me wandering around Spira._

**Wrong. Because **_**you**_** have power now, Tidus, he's going to notice, and will probably try to use you to achieve his goals,** stressed Anima. **You must be careful around him. **

_Okay, okay I'll watch out for the guy. I promise._

**Thank you.** Anima sounded very relieved.

_No problem,_ I reassured, smiling. I waited for about thirty seconds before asking, _So can we play that tick-tack-toe game now?_

Anima groaned and I laughed. I guess that was a 'no'.

* * *

Besaid was a little island that looked like it came out from one of those vacation brochures. White beaches, clear blue waters, vividly colored plants, and people all sporting tans and wearing welcoming smiles. Naturally, I loved it.

I tried to bug Belgemine into letting me swim in the ocean for a little bit but she wouldn't budge. Instead she dragged me up these huge dirt hills and through a long road to the hidden village where the temple was located.

I didn't get a chance to explore the village since Belgemine refused to let me go, but I did catch a glimpse of a lot of huts with no doors before we came to a huge stone temple that was probably bigger than the entire village.

I whistled when I saw the inside of the temple. It seriously looked like something out of a fantasy book. Pedestals with lit candles and statues of people praying decorated the curved walls. There were a few huge statues of people that I recognized as the past summoners who defeated Sin. Centered in the back was a grand set of stairs that led to an elaborate door. Finally there was a faint, barely noticeable song being sung through the temple. It sounded familiar but I couldn't place where I had heard it from.

A bald man dressed in robes came to greet us when we entered. "Yevon's blessing on you," he said, doing the whole hand-bow gig. "Welcome to our temple."

"Thank you for having us," Belgemine greeted back, copying him. "We are here to see the fayth."

The man's brown eyes sparked in understanding. "Ahh, you are a summoner then?"

"Yes, but we're not here for me; we're here for him," Belgemine explained, yanking me forward from where I was gawking behind her.

"Um, hi?" I said, waving awkwardly. I didn't know what else to say.

"Welcome, my child," the old man greeted kindly. He regarded me for a moment before the glimmer in his eyes seemed to dim slightly. "You are very young to be taking on such a great task. I commend you for your courage but question your wisdom. You are aware of the dangers and sacrifices that come with being a summoner, yes?"

"Yeah, Belgemine explained it all to me." I scratched the back of my head nervously and glanced at my teacher from the corner of my eye. Her face was calm and serene as ever.

"I see. And you are still going through with it?" asked the man.

"I don't really have a choice," I said quietly as I thought of Zanarkand at night with its bright lights and graceful architect reflected on the water that it floated upon.

"I understand," the man answered. He gave me a kind smile and gestured to the staircase behind him. "Then please; go onward and attain the aeon Valefor."

Belgemine bowed once more. "Thank you, Father."

"Um, yeah, thanks," I said, quickly copying her. The old man just smiled at me as I ran to catch up to Belgemine as she was already making her way quickly up the steps.

"Who was that guy?" I asked when I was walking beside her once more.

"The head priest of the temple. Don't you remember anything that I taught you?"

"Of course I do. I just wasn't thinking that hard about it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey!"

* * *

It turned out that in order to get in to visit the fayth you must first solve the Cloister of Trials, which was like a big maze-slash-puzzle. Belgemine explained to me that the trial was both a security system to protect the fayth, and a challenge to summoners and their guardians.

"To prove that you're worthy of the fayth," she said, inserting one of the two spheres into a pedestal.

I kept my comment on how egoistical that sounded—because seriously, what the hell? Shouldn't the fayth be a bit more grateful to the many people killing themselves just to visit them? Sheesh—and just followed her around as she solved the puzzle. For the record, I'm no good at puzzles. I don't have the patience to solve the damn things.

But Belgemine was good at puzzles 'cause she got it done in less than ten minutes. Before I knew it I was being pushed up another flight of stairs to a door that bore ruins resembling the ones that had been written on Anima's door.

"Go on, boyo. I'll be here when you back," said Belgemine, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" I asked, startled.

Belgemine raised a single brow. "Why, do you need me to?"

I shook my head. "No, I just… never mind."

"Tidus, there's nothing to be nervous about. Simply go in and speak with the fayth, who will give you her aeon. I'll be right here waiting for you when you come out."

I nodded and turned to face the door. I knew I could do this; facing this fayth was nothing compared to facing Sin. So why did my stomach feel like a twisted up garden hose?

_Because you're a damn pansy who always runs away. When the hell are you going to grow a pair?_ Jecht questioned me in my head.

_I'm not running, old man. I'm not like __**you**__,_ I snapped back.

Jecht laughed. _Then why you still standin' there shaking like a bitch?_

_I'm not, I'm just preparing myself for the task ahead,_ I said, and then before I could think about it even more, I walked into the Chamber of the Fayth.

Valefor's room wasn't that much different from Anima's. It was circular, dark, had words written all over the place, and held a statue built into the floor with a clear surface over it. The only difference between the two was that the statue was of a little girl with bat-like wings extending out of her back, and the atmosphere was softer and more innocent.

"Well here I go," I muttered, kneeling down on the floor and touching the statue's surface with the tips of my fingers.

The reaction was instant. There was a flash of light that blinded me before the image of a… bird (?) appeared before fading into an image of a little girl.

"Hello, summoner," greeted the girl, her voice light and childish. "I am the fayth of Valefor, and I welcome you to my chamber."

"Nice to meet you, Valefor. I'm Tidus," I greeted in return. "Um, I'm here to ask for your aeon."

"Obviously," said the girl spirit, giggling cutely. She actually was a pretty cute kid with her curly brown hair tied up in pigtails with yellow ribbons while wearing a long blue and yellow summer dress. Her eyes were a dark ocean blue that seemed to hold a serene deepness to them just like the color they were based on.

_I wonder how she would have looked grown up,_ I mused, feeling a bit sad for this girl who would remain a child forever. I couldn't help but wonder what made her choose to become a fayth.

"Summoner?" Valefor questioned, sounding concerned.

I snapped back to the present at her voice. "Ahh, sorry; I was just thinking is all. So would you grant me a piece of your power?"

"Of course." Valefor cupped her hands together as a ball of purple of light came to life. She flashed me another smile and gently tossed the ball at me.

I didn't move as the ball of light hit me in the chest. It didn't hurt as much as when Anima did it, but then she threw it a lot lighter. But like with Anima, I could feel Valefor's power rushing through me and linking us together in an unchangeable bond.

**I can't wait to see what we will accomplish together, Tidus,** Valefor whispered to me in my mind before her presence settled somewhere in the back of my conscious.

_Yeah, me too,_ I thought back, actually meaning it. I couldn't wait to see where these aeons were going to take me. If I was lucky, then maybe it would be home.

* * *

The ship to Kilika wouldn't be leaving until the next morning so Belgemine decided that we would stay the night at the nearby lodge. I was fine with it since it meant I got the chance to do what I had wanted to when I first arrived at Besaid — swim in the ocean.

Water has always been an important thing to me. I have never felt more complete then I do when I'm in water. I think it is the one thing that I actually don't hate that I got from my old man. Well, that and my blitzball skills.

Anyway, I stripped down to my jeans and rushed into the ocean like a little kid on his first outing to the beach. The water was warm and clear and felt wonderful. I don't know how long I was out there swimming but eventually I noticed a small group of guys on the beach playing around with a blitzball. I watched them for a little bit before deciding that their skills were mediocre at best, though one of them—a tall, broad man with striking orange-ish red hair in an equally striking hairstyle—was somewhat better.

I watched them play for about ten minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. These guys needed some serious help, and I was going to give it to them whether they wanted it or not.

"Hey!" I called, waddling through the tide to the beach. I waved at them until they were all looking at me with obvious curiosity and some irritation.

"Yea? Whachya want?" asked the orange hair guy. Now that I was closer I noticed that they were all wearing the same clothes with the same markings. Clearly they were a blitzball team but obviously not a very good one.

This just kept getting better and better.

"I noticed you guys practicing and thought maybe you'd like some tips," I said, shaking the water out of my hair.

"Why? What'd _you_ know about playin blitzball?" asked the orange, looking at me skeptically.

I'll admit; I was insulted when I heard that. I know I'm not the most masculine guy around but I also know I'm not overly girly either. For this guy to imply that I was too weak or too fragile to play blitzball was a major hit to my masculinity.

So I narrowed my eyes, squared my shoulders, and picked up one of the balls on the ground. I threw it up in the air, bounced it with my forehead when it came down, and then let loose a double-legged bicycle kick. The ball went shooting off over the ocean into the horizon and out of sight.

I turned back to the group to find them all gobsmaked. I smirked smugly and asked, "Satisfied?"

The orange nodded slowly, unable to tear his eyes away from the direction to where the ball had gone. "Y-Yea, I believe ya. Who'd you say you were?"

"I'm Tidus," I introduced, holding out a hand, "and I was wondering if I could help with your training."

"I'm Wakka," said the orange, taking my hand and shaking it. A slow smile began to take form over his handsome face as he looked me up and down with new eyes. "And, brudda, if you show me that move again, I'll do more than let you train us."

* * *

Wakka was the captain of the Besaid Aurochs; one of the worse teams in the blitzball league. Their team was sloppy, weak, uncoordinated and seriously lacking ambition. When I heard their team motto—to do our best!—I think died a little on the inside. The Besaid Aurochs were so pathetic that I made it my personal mission to straighten them out before I left.

"First off you guys have got to change your goal," I told them, standing with my hands on my hips. I was in full on leader mode and was not going to snap out of it anytime soon. "If you think with words like 'maybe we can win' and 'we tried' then you're not going to get any better. You have to think that you WON'T lose, and that you ARE good. Get it?"

"Yeah, I get what you sayin'," Wakka said, nodding. "We gotta change our mindsets if we wanna win, ya?"

"Exactly." I shot him a quick smile before turning serious again. "So what's our goal?"

"Uhh, victory?" offered one of the players.

I put a hand behind my ear and leaned forward. "Huh? What was that?"

"Victory," the guy said louder with a little more confidence.

"Louder," I commanded.

"Victory!" shouted the guy with a few of his teammates joining in.

"Louder!"

"Victory!" shouted the whole team.

I nodded, satisfied. "Right. Victory is your new motto. Now how long do you guys practice in a week?"

"About an hour every other day," answered one of the players, scratching his head in thought. "Sometimes we go for two hours but not very often."

_Oh you have got to be…_

"Are you serious? An _hour_ every other _day_?"

The Besaid Aurochs nodded, looking unsure.

"Is that bad?" asked one of the guys.

"Yes that's bad," I snapped, irritated. "You should be practicing for a minimum of _three _hours _every _day. One hour spent exercising your bodies; one hour going over tactics, techniques and game plans; and one hour spent playing the game itself. Understand?"

A good portion of the team stared at me like I was Sin itself. "T-Three _hours_? A _day_?"

"If you want to get better at something then you need to work at it," I lectured. "Even the super talented players need to practice to get as good as they are. No one becomes a star blitzball player by doing half-ass training."

Only Wakka seemed to be considering my words. The rest of the team looked unsure and uneasy at my advice.

Finally, Wakka spoke up. "He's right. We gotta train more if we wanna win the tournament."

The Besaid Aurochs stared at their captain in a sort of shocked horror.

"But, captain, it's _three hours_ for _every day_ of the week," said one of players.

"So? You got anything better to do in the day 'sides sitting around watching girls, Datto?" shot back Wakka.

Datto turned a bright red color that was clear even under his tan. "N-No…"

"Then what's the problem?" Wakka asked.

No one answered. It seemed that the Besaid Aurochs biggest problem was simply their lack of drive and too much laziness. If they got over that then I was sure that they would be a great team.

"Look, you don't have to be talented or lucky to win a game," I told them in a softer tone. "If you work hard and give it your all every time you play then I can guarantee that you'll win. No, I take that back; I KNOW you can win the tournament."

The blitzball team called the Besaid Aurochs was silent for a moment. Finally one of the players stepped forward and said to me, "I'll do it. I'll work hard for three hours every day to become the best blitzball player I can be. And I'll show you at the tournament that the Besaid Aurochs is as strong as you believe us to be."

It was like a signal was given. Suddenly all the players were promising to work hard to win the tournament and not let me down. I could only stand there and watch them as they all grabbed a ball and started training with much more enthusiasm and effort than before.

_Mission accomplished,_ I thought smugly before a huge meaty arm grabbed me from behind in a headlock.

"You did it, cuz," Wakka said looking down at me. He was practically beaming with joy, and I had to resist covering my eyes from the sparkles. "I've never seen them so hyped before. You sure got dem inspired, ya?"

I pushed him off and gave him a mock-glare. "Watch the hair, _cuz_."

Wakka laughed and thumped hard me on the back a few times. I had to struggle not buckle under the strain of those thumps. This guy had some serious power in those big hands of his.

"Seriously though, thanks for giving them that speech. I never heard someone tell us that we had to win before," said Wakka, growing more serious and thoughtful. "All anyone ever said to us was either try our best or don't try at all. I guess that's why we haven't won a game in years."

I felt a flame of anger ignite in me when I heard that. If there was one thing I hated it was putting down others. Telling someone that they shouldn't do something just because they weren't good at it pissed me off like you wouldn't believe. This hatred stemmed from my own memories of my old man telling me to quit blitzball because I sucked at it as a little kid. Every time he told me that it made me even more determined to prove him wrong. I couldn't help but think that the Besaid Aurochs should react the same way.

"Screw them," I told Wakka, clenching my fists. "Forget all the doubters and what they say. If you put your mind to it then you can do anything. Win this tournament and prove it once and for all!"

Wakka stared at me for a moment before breaking out into another wide smile. "Huh. You know, you're pretty different from the people I've met. Where you from?"

"Uhh, Luca," I said quickly. Belgemine had told me not to tell anyone else that I was from Zanarkand since they wouldn't believe me. Like I didn't figure that out on my own.

Wakka's orange brows met his orange hair in surprise. "For real? You a new player for the Luca Goers? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I've never seen you in the games before…"

"I don't play for any team anymore," I quickly explained. "My previous team was… disbanded."

Well that was partially true. The Zanarkand Abes weren't going to be playing again anytime soon thanks to tall, dark and scaly.

"Ahh, I get it." Wakka nodded like he could totally understand. "So why you didn't join another team den?"

"I kind of had to put my blitzball career on hold," I admitted. I didn't want to say I was a summoner—the praise and awe was kind of getting annoying—but I didn't want to lie to my new friend either…

_Well, it was nice knowing you dignity._

"I'm a summoner now."

Like I expected, Wakka went from normal guy to fanboy in 1.5 seconds. He bowed to me, babbled how awesome I was to be a summoner, and generally made an embarrassment of himself and all men everywhere. I tolerated it though until the stars finally faded from his eyes and he was normal Wakka again.

"You finished there?" I asked him, smirking.

He turned a shade of red that clashed with his hair. "Ahh, sorry 'bout that. I just feel real honored every time I meet a summoner. Especially one as young as you. By the way, how old are you?"

"Seventeen. Why?"

"Well I have a friend, yea? And she's your age and she's an apprentice summoner. A few days she's gonna meet the fayth and try to become a full-fledged summoner," he explained. "If she manages it then I'm gonna go with her on her pilgrimage as her guardian."

"What's her name?" I asked, curious over this summoner girl.

"Yuna. She's the daughter of High Summoner Braska," Wakka said, a hint of pride in his tone.

_Braska, Braska, why does that name sound familiar… wait, wasn't he the summoner Auron and Jecht protected?_ I realized with a strange shock. Suddenly I felt this burning need to talk to this girl, this Yuna, whose father mine had protected and possibly died for. I can't say why, just that I did.

"Hey, Wakka, you think I could meet her? Yuna I mean?" I asked my new friend.

He shrugged. "Don't see why not. She's back at the village probably studying. C'mon, I'll take you to her."

* * *

We got back to the village a lot faster thanks to the shortcut Wakka showed me. Of course we had to swim back but that was fine with me. It sure as hell beat walking up a damn dirt hill again.

On the way there we ran into two men who Wakka knew. One was an older guy with short blood-red hair wearing an interesting outfit of green and purple. The other was smaller and younger with black hair wearing an equally odd outfit, only this time based around the colors green and brown.

"Luzzu, Gatta," Wakka called out to them as we got closer. "You guys on patrol already?"

"Yes, we're just starting our rounds," greeted the redhead, smiling at Wakka before looking over me curiously. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Tidus, a summoner from Luca and a damn good blitzball player," Wakka introduced. He pointed to the redhead and said, "Tidus this is Luzzu and that's Gatta. They're our resident Crusaders."

"Hello," I greeted them politely while trying to remember what the hell a Crusader was. I'm sure I heard that word before. I'd have to ask Belgemine about it later.

Luzzu and Gatta both saluted me.

"Welcome, summoner, to Besaid. I take it you are here to visit our temple and pray to the fayth?" Luzzu questioned.

"Yeah, I did that when we got here a few hours ago," I told them.

"You mean you came with your guardians? Where are they now? Shouldn't they be here with you?" asked Gatta, looking around suspiciously.

"Uhh, my guardian is away for the moment. I'm just here with my friend Belgemine. She's my summoner coach," I explained quickly. I got the feeling if I told them the truth about being guardian-less then I'd start getting volunteers like with Shelinda.

For a moment though, after I said that, I swore that I saw something change in Luzzu's eyes. Something in them went wild but when I blinked they were normal. I stared at him hard as he nodded at me and said, "Ahh, well, please enjoy your stay here. Come along, Gatta. We have work to do."

"Later," Wakka replied, waving to them as they left. I stared at Luzzu's back as he walked away, and wondered if what I saw in his eyes was my imagination or not.

"Yo, you ready to go? Yuna's just inside the village," Wakka told me, tapping me on the shoulder.

I nodded and reluctantly tore my eyes away from the crusader. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go."

When we got back to the village Wakka walked to a hut in the far right corner and walked right in calling, "Hey, Yuna! I got a visitor for ya!"

I followed him into the hut and paused at the doorway to look around. The hut was pretty big with a tall ceiling. The floor was covered with thin red carpets that were obviously worn down with age but still maintained their interesting black patterns. There were two beds in the far back with a small table between them, and to the left was a huge shelf holding books, scrolls, vases, plants and a bunch of other little knickknacks. To the right was a small dresser with a pile of even more books next to it. In the middle of the hut was a small table holding a vase with a single white flower in it, and an open book. Reading the book was a girl around my age.

The girl looked up at Wakka and me at our entrance, and smiled softly at us both. "Wakka, I thought you had practice."

"I do, but first I had to bring you dis guy I met down at the beach," explained the older man. He reached out and threw an arm over my shoulders and pulled me forward. "Yuna, meet Tidus, a summoner from Luca. Tidus, this is Yuna, High Summoner Braska's daughter."

"Hi?" I offered, waving from under Wakka's huge arm. I think the guy's bicep was as big as one of my thighs.

"Hello," returned Yuna, smiling at me kindly. She was a petite thing wearing a unique set of summoner robes with straight brown hair that curved around her face. Unlike Wakka, she had ivory skin and a pair of fascinating mismatched eyes. Not the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, but still pretty cute.

"Well, I'll leave you two here to talk, yea? I'll check up with ya both after practice!" Wakka said, pushing me towards Yuna and taking off before I had a chance to even think.

_Damn you Wakka,_ I cursed in my mind, slowly turning to look at Yuna. Now that I was here I didn't know what to say to this unknown girl. The desire to meet her was still boiling in the pit of my stomach, but to a lesser degree now, and I was at a loss on what to do about it.

"Jecht was my old man," I blurted out without thinking. Yuna blinked at me. I blinked back. A moment of silence and then I slapped myself in the forehead when I realized what I just did.

_Tidus, you are an idiot._

"Excuse me?" Yuna asked tentatively. She probably didn't know what else to say to the random boy she had just met. I didn't blame her.

"I'm sorry, let me try that again," I apologized, running a hand through my damp hair in agitation. "I'm Tidus, Jecht's son. The guy who protected your father on his pilgrimage…" I trailed off and waited for her to put the pieces together.

It didn't take her very long. I watched her eyes light up and a smile grace her pink lips. The expression brought her whole face to life, and I was a bit struck by the beauty of it.

"Sir Jecht's son," she murmured, standing up and walking to me. She took one of my hands into both of hers, and stared up at me with clear joy. "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Your father told me about you when I met him, and since then I've always wondered if I would ever meet you. And now you're finally here…"

"Jecht… he talked about me?" I asked, stupefied. Why the hell would the bastard talk about _me_?

Yuna blinked up at me in clear bafflement. "Of course. You're his son. Why wouldn't he talk about you?"

"Well… it's complicated," I said, looking away. I didn't want to tell her about my history with Jecht; she seemed to actually like the bastard.

"So what did he say about me?" I asked, half-curious and half-dreading the answer. I could only imagine what the bastard had told Yuna about his 'whiny, crybaby, girly son'.

"A lot. Oh, would you like to sit down first? It must be uncomfortable standing up and talking like this," said Yuna, pulling over to the table. I dropped to the ground and crossed my legs while Yuna kneeled down across from me. She moved very gracefully and sat up straight with perfect posture. She was reminding me a lot of Belgemine; all poised and elegant.

"Before I start could you answer a question for me?" asked Yuna.

"Sure. What is it?"

Yuna took a deep breath and asked: "Are you from Zanarkand?"

I froze for about thirty seconds before relaxing. "W-Why'd you ask that?"

"Sir Jecht told me he came from Zanarkand," Yuna explained quietly. She was studying my face intently, probably trying to guess what I was thinking from my expression.

_Thanks a lot old man._ With a heavy sigh, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm from Zanarkand. But don't tell anyone, 'kay? I get enough stares as it is."

Yuna lifted a hand to muffle a giggle. "Of course."

She was quiet for a moment as she stared at my face again. "You know, you're not what I expected. From what Sir Jecht told me I always envisioned a shy little boy with scraped knees and tearstained cheeks."

"Yeah, well, you caught me on one of my good days," I said, grinning.

Yuna laughed again. "He also didn't mention you were funny."

"I'm sure there were a lot of things he didn't notice about me," I said quietly.

Yuna looked confused at my answer but didn't push. Instead, she asked, "So do you play blitzball too?"

"Yeah. I was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes," I boasted, grinning at the memories that title revoked.

"Really? Tell me about it," asked Yuna, looking so desperate that I couldn't help but comply.

I don't know how long we talked; only that time seemed to speed by without me knowing it. Talking to Yuna was the easiest thing in the world for me. She had a sort of air to her that made you relax and feel safe and happy. It's the kind of feeling I used to get around my mom when she actually noticed my existence.

Soon, too soon really, Wakka was back from practice. He flopped down next to me and managed to get me wet. I gave him a dirty look and flicked the water on my arm back at him.

"How was practice?" Yuna asked, tucking some of her brown locks behind her ear.

"Tiring. I don't think we'd ever practiced so hard before," answered Wakka. He elbowed me lightly in the side. "And it's all thanks to dis guy here. You gave them the drive to win with that speech of yours."

Yuna looked at me in awe. "Did you really?"

"All I did was tell them to practice more," I mumbled, scratching the back of my head. Usually I didn't mind being praised but hearing it from Yuna made me feel… odd. Like I didn't deserve it or something.

"And so modest too!" laughed Wakka, mussing up my hair wildly. "Brudda, you're one of a kind. So when you leaving Besaid?"

"Tomorrow. I have to go to Killika to visit the temple there and get its aeon," I explained.

Yuna cocked her head slightly in puzzlement. "Wait, you're a summoner?"

Wakka snorted. "Yuna, I told you that when I introduced him earlier remember?"

"I forgot," Yuna admitted sheepishly, pink lightly dusting her cheeks. "I was more focused on the fact that he's Sir Jecht's son."

I glared at the girl across from me as Wakka went into fanboy mode again. As he 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over me, I mentally pleaded with Yuna to save me. She seemed to realize her mistake and flashed me an apologetic look before trying to calm Wakka down. Too bad she was unsuccessful.

_Ahh, screw it._

"You know I think it's time I head back to the lodge. My friend is probably wondering where I am right about now," I said, getting to me feet and stretching my cramped muscles.

"Oh that's too bad. I was hoping we could speak more," said Yuna, obviously disappointed.

"Hey we can still talk. Tomorrow morning I'll stop by before I head to the docks, okay?" I offered. To be honest I wanted to talk to Yuna and Wakka some more too. They were both pretty cool people, and I wanted to get to know them some more before I left.

"Okay. We'll be here than," Yuna promised, smiling at me.

So I bid Wakka and Yuna a goodbye and went back to the lodge where Belgemine was waiting for me. I told her about my new friends over a plate of food before going to—what I assumed—would be a peaceful sleep.

Too bad I have a habit of being wrong most of the time.

* * *

_I was a little kid again standing on the docks. My old man_ ("**I wish you weren't my dad!**") _was standing over me with his usual expression of disdain._

"_Why are you crying now?" he_—Jecht the blitzball players, or Jecht the guardian?—_sneered down at me. A bottle of booze hung loosely in one of his hands _("**You're always drinking when I see you**.") _while the other casually tossed a blitzball up and down in the air._

"_S-Stop it," I_—Tidus the rookie of the Zanarkand Abes, or amateur summoner?—_hiccup, rubbing my eyes raw until they begin to burn every time I blink. "L-Leave me alone."_

"_Cry, cry, cry, that's all you're good for," he says, scowling_ ("**You look like your father when you frown like that**.") _nastily. "You should've been born a girl. At least then I wouldn't feel so embarrassed every time you start crying in front of people. For god's sake stop it already!"_

"_Shut up!" I shout at him, looking up to glare at the blurry figure of a man_—Auron is that you? Have you come to save me again?—_above me. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"_

_Jecht just laughs at me and takes a swig _("**Fucking drunk, that's all he was!**")_ of his beer. He wipes his mouth before turning around and walking away. "Pathetic, brat. Pathetic."_

"_I hate you!" I screech with my voice breaking in the middle of the sentence. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you—"_

* * *

"I hate you!" I yelled, sitting up in my bed back in the land of the real world. It was almost completely dark with only a nightlight on to illuminate the room, and the only noise was the soft sounds from the people around me. I looked around to see if I woke anyone up but saw that my fellow bedmates were all still asleep.

All except for Belgemine.

"Tidus?"

I turned to my left to see the woman sitting up in bed. She was in the middle of swinging her legs around to stand up. She was dressed in a long, sleeveless, white nightgown that glowed eerily in the white light shining from the lantern. Her long brown hair was free and fell to her elbows in a rumpled curtain.

"Did I wake you?" I asked, my voice slightly scratchy.

Belgemine shook her head as she sat down next to me. I let her reach out and touch my forehead in concern. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I wish it was a nightmare," I told her, letting out a giggle. "At least then I could just forget about it and go back to sleep."

Belgemine looked confused. "Then what did you dream about?"

"A memory," I whispered. I pulled my legs up to rest my chin on my knees and loosely wrapped my arms around my legs. "I hate him, you know. Jecht. My old man. When he was alive all he ever did was call me names and tease me. And not in the playful way that you do with friends, but like what bullies do to their victims. He made me cry so many times when I was little. You know for a time I even thought that my name was 'brat'? Because that's all he ever called me. I don't think he even knew my name. And here I thought parents were supposed to love you. What a load of bull."

"Tidus…" Belgemine sounded sad now, and I felt even worse than before. I shouldn't be unloading all my emotional baggage on her; she had enough to deal with handling the fate of her world. I was being selfish again.

"I'm sorry," I said, lifting my head and giving her a smile that felt fake even to me. "I'll go back to sleep now. Don't worry about me waking you again. My dreams usually don't repeat."

Belgemine, though, seemed to have gone momentarily deaf. She totally ignored my wishes and pulled me by the shoulders to hold me up against her chest. She wrapped her arms firmly around me so I couldn't pull away, and then began to rock me like I was a little kid.

Now, usually I would be embarrassed right about now. Not only for being treated like a two-year-old but because my face was pressed against her rather full bosom. And did I mention her nightwear was like super thin? Yeah, totally awkwardville right?

Only it wasn't. I wasn't embarrassed or turned on or anything. I actually felt… good. It was like when my mom held me when I was seriously sick as a kid. I felt safe and warm and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't explain.

To my horror I actually felt some tears begin to prick at the corner of my eyes. I ruthlessly pushed them back; since my mom died I have refused to cry. I wanted to prove to both of my parents that I wasn't as weak as they as always said. As I always thought. So in ten years I haven't cried once. Sure, there were times when my eyes watered and a few tears might've leaked out, but I've always managed to stop them before any serious flood works started.

But Belgemine's hug was pushing me to the limits. As nice as it was to be hugged comfortingly since I was thirteen (Auron had once given me a one armed hug to distract me as he shoved my dislocated arm back into its socket. Nice of him, huh?) I really didn't want to start sobbing into her chest.

So I pulled away and gave her a smile that I hoped conveyed how grateful I was. I think she got it too because she smiled back and patted me gently on the cheek. "Go back to sleep, Tidus. I'm sure you won't have any more bad dreams tonight."

And you know what? She was right.

* * *

The next morning it was time to leave Besaid.

I kept my promise to visit Yuna and Wakka that morning before heading out to the docks. Only when I got to Yuna's home only she was there.

"Wakka is waiting down at the docks. He said he had something to do and would meet us there," explained Yuna.

So the two of us set off for the docks where Wakka and Belgemine, who had also left earlier, were waiting for us.

"I wonder if we'll meet again," Yuna murmured to herself, staring down at her booted feet as we trudged through the sand.

"Well you'll be coming to Luca once you get the aeon here, right?" I asked her.

"I'm not a summoner yet," reminded Yuna.

I waved a dismissive hand at her. "You'll make it; you're the freaking High Summoner's daughter. It would go against nature for you to fail."

Yuna blushed prettily. "Thank you for your faith in me."

"No problem. Anyway, I'll be at Luca until after the blitzball tournament. So when you get there then maybe we can meet up."

"But what about your pilgrimage? Shouldn't you be continuing it?"

"I'm going on after I meet up with a friend. He should be showing up when the tournament starts," I told her. We came up to the docks and I spotted Belgemine already on the boat speaking to the captain. I looked around for Wakka and saw him standing off to the side with the rest of the Besaid Aurochs. When they saw me they waved me over.

"Hey, guys," I greeted, coming to stand next to Wakka. "I hope you're all here to practice blitzball."

"Oh we are, no worries," reassured Wakka, smiling at me hugely. It made him look dorkier than usual. "But first the boys wanted to see you off and promise you that we'll win the tournament."

"I have no doubt that you will," I agreed, grinning. "I'll be in the stadium cheering you guys on, 'kay?"

"Deal. Well, we'll be seeing you in Luca den," Wakka said, clapping me on the shoulder.

"I'll be waiting," I promised, clapping him back on the arm.

And so I gave Yuna a hug and bid my new friends farewell and was soon off to Kilika.


	4. Part I: Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** I**:** C**hapter** F**our

* * *

The trip to Killika was interesting for two reasons. One was because I met O'aka on that voyage, and two because I saw Sin again.

I'll let you be the judge on which one I liked best.

I met O'aka first while wandering around below deck. I was trying to get in contact with Anima and Valefor but it seemed they were gone for the moment. Guess being a fayth is a busy affair. I was just about to give up and go bug Belgemine when I ran into O'aka.

"Oooh, them's fascinatin' clothes you're wearing!" a man's voice boomed before a hand reached out and tugged on the back of my hoodie, and I had to crane my neck around to see who it was.

"Can I help you?" I asked the guy who had taken my hood hostage. He was of average height, a bit on the pudgy side, and had short, dark brown hair. He also, like all other inhabitants of Spira, had no fashion sense whatsoever, and was wearing only a dark vest, baggy pants, sandals, and a hat that looked like something you'd see at a little kid's birthday party.

"Ahh, sorry 'bout that, mate. I'm just a bit fascinated by your attire. Say, you wouldn't remember where you got them, ehh?" asked my newest fanboy.

I shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, but no. They were a gift from a friend and I don't know where she got them."

The man visibly deflated in disappointment. It was kind of like watching air leave a balloon. "Well that is a shame. I think your outfit is the best I've seen in a long time. Possibly even good enough for O'aka XXIII merchant extraordinaire!"

I looked down at my clothes with a raised brow. All I was wearing was my ripped jeans, black shirt, and a sleeveless green hoodie. I decided for the sake of my sanity not to question the fashion sense of a guy with a teacup on his head.

Instead I asked, "What's 'O'aka XXIII merchant extraordinaire?'"

"I am," replied O'aka XXIII the merchant extraordinaire, doing a little bow. "Say, lad, you wouldn't have a bit o' Gil to lend? I'm running a bit low on funds here."

I blinked and dug a hand into my back pocket to pull out the Gil Belgemine had given me. "All I have is this. Is that enough?"

O'aka stared at me and then at the money in my hand before looking back up at me. "You're really just gonna give me your Gil?"

I gave him a weird look. "Yes."

"I guess it pays to ask!" he cheered, taking the Gil. "Thank ye kindly, lad! Fine seed money for the O'aka merchant empire! I promise I won't forget this!"

"You're welcome?" I replied hesitantly, watching the man walk off talking to himself.

**Well he's kinda strange,** chirped a young female voice.

My head snapped around in surprise before I recognized the person speaking to me. _I see you're back, Valefor. Where's Anima?_

**Away I guess. I don't know. Anima doesn't talk to us very often. She usually keeps to herself,** Valefor explained. **So watchya doin'?**

_Well I was looking for something to do, but now that you're here I can just talk to you,_ I explained, sitting down on the floor and leaning against the wall behind me.

**Really? Why?**

_Well I know nothing about you and yet I'm sharing my __**mind**__ with you. Don't you find that a bit awkward?_

I could sense Valefor was puzzled. I guess the fayth were used to skirting through strangers' minds that it didn't even seem wrong to them anymore.

_Okay, how about we play a game,_ I told her, deciding to try a different approach. _I'll ask you a question about yourself that you must answer honestly, and then you can ask me a question about myself that I must answer honestly. Sound good?_

**Yeah, that sounds fun! Let's play!** Valefor cheered.

I smiled at the excitement in her tone. _Okay then, I'll start. First question: How old were you when you became a fayth?_

**Eleven,** Valefor answered promptly. **My turn: What's your favorite color?**

_Purple,_ I answered without thinking. _How long have you been a fayth?_

Valefor paused and I could feel her thinking about it before finally coming to an answer. **Five hundred and twenty one years… I think. I'm pretty sure that's right. Anyway, what's your favorite food?**

_Pancakes with blueberry syrup although fillet fish does come in a close second,_ I answered, scratching my chin in thought._ Okay, next question: Why did you become a fayth?_

**To be with my mommy. She was a summoner and I wanted to stay with her when she went on her pilgrimage. But the only way to do that was if I was a guardian or an aeon, and since I couldn't be a guardian I became a fayth,** Valefor explained. **Next one: Are you allergic to anything?**

_No. What was your name when you were human?_

**Can't remember. How old are you?**

_Seventeen. What did you like to eat when you were alive?_

**Papaya and tangerines. Hmm… oh, I know, what's your favorite game?**

_Blitzball. Any siblings when you were alive?_

**I had a big brother who died before I was born but that's it. Do you have a favorite toy?**

_Um, my blitzball? Oh, and I guess my game console. It's sort of like a toy. What was yours?_

**It was my doll Daisy. What do you think of Spira?**

_It's… different from what I'm used to,_ I answered slowly, thinking the question over. _It rougher and more primitive compared to Zanarkand, but at the same time much wiser and jaded. So do you miss being human?_

**Sometimes. Being an aeon has a lot of advantages I didn't have as a human, but sometimes I wish I was a normal girl again,** Valefor said with a tinge of wistfulness in her tone. **So is it hard being a summoner?**

_I don't know. I haven't been one for very long yet. What about you? Is it hard being a fayth?_

**It's frustrating. There's so much you want to say and do for your summoner but you can't because the bond between a human and fayth isn't strong enough. It's especially hard feeling a summoner die and knowing you can't do a thing to save them.**

_You've seen a lot of summoners die then?_ I asked quietly.

**Yes, there have been many. Too many, really. But not anymore. I won't let you die, Tidus. I promise that I'll help you end the death of all summoners everywhere. I swear it,** Valefor promised with a strong conviction in her tone.

I'll admit I was touched when I heard that. No one has ever made a promise to protect me. Sure, Auron had implied it a few times (I'm pretty sure "Get behind me before your face gets burned off," can pass, right?), but no one has ever just come out and said, "Tidus, I promise to protect you from getting yourself killed."

I wanted to thank her. I wanted to tell her that I was touched by her words, and promise not to get myself killed. I wanted to say a lot of things but I didn't get the chance. Why? Because again my luck is generally complete crap, and Sin has the worst timing.

"SIN!"

The yell from the deck echoed across the ship. I heard feet pound against the wood above me as people rushed to either get away from the giant beast, or towards it in a futile attempt to fight it.

I didn't think about the consequences of my actions as I scrambled up from the floor, and began to push through the throng of people coming down the steps while I struggled to get up to the deck. All I knew was that Belgemine was up there with Sin, and I had to get to her before it did.

**Tidus what are you doing?** Valefor shrieked at me in my head. **Get back down there! **

_Belgemine is up here!_ I yelled back as I searched for her figure. Finally I spotted her hanging onto one of the support beams near the front of the boat.

"Belgemine!" I yelled, rushing to her. I stumbled a few times as the boat was rocked but managed to get to her without falling.

"Are you okay?" I asked, wrapping an arm around the beam to steady myself.

Belgemine nodded, not looking away from the rising form of Sin as it emerged from the ocean. Silently we both watched as two men tried to shoot harpoons into one of its' fins with only one managing to pierce it. The ship was jerked forward and we were dragged along with Sin as it sped across the ocean.

"We're going to get pulled under!" I shouted to Belgemine in panic.

But she wasn't paying any attention to me. She was focused on the moving fin that ejected some very familiar creatures that fell onto the deck and rolled open.

_Oh great,_ I thought as the same things that attacked me in Zanarkand started attacking the passengers. They didn't get very far though before they were zapped to ashes by Belgemine's spell, Holy.

"We need to get rid of that fin," Belgemine told me as another creature took its fallen comrade's place. "Summon an aeon quickly," she ordered, beginning to start up another spell.

_How?_ I screamed mentally. I hadn't gotten far enough in my studies that I knew how to actually _summon_ an aeon yet.

**Tidus, call for me please,** Valefor begged me, reminding me of her presence. **I can get the boat away from the fin.**

_But I don't know how!_ I yelled back at her. Hadn't she heard my earlier thought?

**Just reach for my power inside of you and I'll come,** Valefor instructed. **Please, hurry.**

_Okay, okay. Just give me a moment._ I closed my eyes and tried to reach out for her presence. I could feel her there; an alien force that had intertwined itself within me. It was just the reaching out part that was difficult.

_Just reach for her,_ I told myself, and envisioned in my mind reaching for the purple ball of light that I just knew was Valefor. The moment my hand wrapped around it there was a rushing wind and a strange shriek/whistle noise that rang across the air. My eyes snapped open and there I saw an aeon for the first time in my life.

To describe Valefor as an aeon is difficult. At first I thought she was a giant pink and purple bird with some serious mange problems. But then I looked closer and realized she actually wasn't losing feathers; it just that her skin was actually leather on some places, and had feathers everywhere else. She had bird feet, a dragon's tail, bat wings and some weird looking arms that were short and curved in.

She was the most amazing sight I had seen in Spira so far.

Valefor flew around the ship twice before landing on the deck near Sin with a sweet trill. She swept her wings back and then forward; letting out a huge gust of wind that destroyed the little monsters and hit the fin with a solid blow.

"Whoa." I was in awe as I watched Valefor battle it out with Sin. She fired spells and attacks I didn't even know until the harpoon finally came loose and slipped out. Then the fin seemed to shudder before pulling away as Sin sunk back down into the sea.

There was a tense silence after Sin left. Everyone was silent and shaken by the experience, me included. Only Belgemine seemed composed and unruffled by the encounter with Sin.

"Well done," she said to me as Valefor landed in front of us. "You did a good job."

"But I didn't do anything," I protested as Valefor leaned down to nuzzle my hair. Subconsciously I reached up a hand to pet the soft pink feathers on her head.

Belgemine shook her head while smiling softly. "Wrong. You successfully summoned your first aeon without any prior knowledge."

"You knew I didn't how to do it?" I squawked, gawking at her. Valefor let out a trill that sounded like she was laughing at me. I turned back to glare up at her.

_Traitor!_

"Yes, I knew that you didn't know how to summon an aeon, but I had faith that you could figure it on your own. And you did."

_No, Valefor told me how to do it,_ I thought, but didn't say that. I felt kind of guilty though for letting her think that I had figured it on my own. It felt like I was deceiving her or something. But since I didn't want her to know I could talk to the fayth in my head, I kept my mouth shut.

"Your aeon is also very strong," Belgemine continued, oblivious to my thoughts. "That's good; it means you're strong."

"Me?" I repeated, pointing at my chest. "How am I strong? I have no magic or any awesome fighting skills."

"An aeon's strength comes from its summoner's inner power. It has nothing to do with skills or magic," she explained, and then ended the conversation as the men who shot the harpoons at Sin came to apologize to her.

"Inner power," I mumbled, pressing a hand against my chest. I didn't understand at that time what she was talking about. It actually wouldn't be until much later that I finally understood my teacher's wise words.

* * *

We arrived in Kilika at twilight only to find it in ruin. It turns out after tangling with us (and losing), Sin decided to vent its frustration out on Kilika, and left behind only broken homes and broken families. It was… a hard sight to take in.

Belgemine led me through Kilika's port silently until she suddenly froze. "A sending," she whispered, taking a few steps back.

I looked over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. A few feet in front of us was a man wearing blue summoner robes and speaking to an old woman. After a moment the old woman bowed to the man while he just nodded, and then walked out onto the water with a staff.

To explain a sending is like trying to explain how an aeon looks: hard. The stranger danced on the water with his staff and the dead souls rose up to join him. The longer he danced the more spirits came up and eventually faded away. It was both a mesmerizing and sad sight to see.

When it ended there were people all around me crying in despair. One girl actually collapsed from her sobbing, and needed help in getting up and back to her home. I stood in the middle of it all feeling awkward and uncertain. It was my first real look at what exactly the people of Spira faced every day.

The summoner who had performed the sending came walking back. Now that I was closer I could get a better look at him. He was older than me and a few inches taller too. He had shoulder-length brown hair tied back in a high pony-tail and kind blue eyes.

I guess I was staring at him too long because he noticed me, and gave me a small nod of acknowledgment. I nodded back and watched him walk away with another man and a little boy trailing after them.

"So that was a sending?" I asked Belgemine as she came to stand by my side.

"Yes, that was a sending," she said, sounding tired.

I glanced at her form the corner of my eye. Belgemine looked unusually weak and a little unbalanced. "You okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm just tired. I've used a lot of magic today," she explained, giving me a strained smile that was—I think—supposed to ease my worries. Too bad for Belgemine it didn't work.

Wordlessly I wrapped an arm around her waist and shifted her weight so that she was leaning on me. "Which way to the inn?"

"Tidus I can walk on my own," she protested, trying to pull away. I just gave her a flat look that I always gave Auron when he would try to act all nonchalant when bleeding half to death. I think he's the only man I ever met who would pass off a concussion as 'a measly little bruise.'

"Where's the inn?" I repeated slowly to my teacher; staring her in the eye so she knew I wasn't going to let up on this.

Maybe Belgemine got the message, or maybe she was just too tired, I don't know. All I know is that she stopped trying to pull away and verbally guided me to the inn. When we got there and ordered a room I marched her up the stairs and made her rest.

"Now you're going to go to sleep and will wake up _tomorrow morning_. Not in an hour; not later tonight, but when the sun comes back up. Understood?" I lectured sternly.

I don't think I was very good though since Belgemine didn't look intimidated or chastised. She just looked amused.

_Damn._

"As you would have it, master summoner," she said lightly before laying down on the thin bed. She stared at me silently for a moment before her face turned serious. "You should get some rest too. You didn't sleep well last night, and we have a long walk tomorrow to the temple in the morning."

"I was going to," I assured her, flopping down on the bed next to hers. I kicked off my shoes, folded my hands behind my head, and then just stared up at the ceiling. Admittedly my body was tired but my mind was racing with all that happened that day. It was hard to fall asleep with so much going on in my head.

I looked over at my companion to see if she was asleep yet. She didn't look like it. "Hey, Belgemine?"

"Mmm?"

"Why did Sin attack Kilika?"

Belgemine opened her eyes and turned to look at me. "What?"

"Why did Sin attack Kilika? Why didn't it just go away after it harassed us?"

"Because Sin exists only to destroy."

I will never forget those words Belgemine told me that night. Sin exists only to destroy. It was such a simple answer. So simple and yet so confusing.

_How could something live only to kill?_

It was a question that would haunt me until the very end of my journey.

* * *

Kilika consisted of four main areas: a small port, a village, a jungle and a temple. Its claims to fame was being the home of High Summoner Ohalland, and the local blitzball team—the Kilika Beasts.

If given time and the proper resources I'm sure Kilika would have been a nice place to live. As it was, all I saw of it was a ravaged town filled with mourning citizens. I'm kinda glad that I never had to go back there again.

Belgemine and I headed to the temple at dawn the next day. She wanted to catch the boat leaving for Luca at noon so we had to hurry and get the aeon there. I agreed with her because I didn't want to stay in Kilika for very long either. It was too depressing for me.

The temple turned out to be on top of a mountain so we had to go from the port through the village and then through the jungle (which was filled with fiends by the way) and then up a lot of stairs before we _finally_ got to the temple.

Thinking back on it now, I think it took more time to get to the damn temple than it did to get the aeon there.

Now to describe the temple of Kilika I could only say two words: stone and fire. The place was honestly built around those two themes. The temple was literally carved out of the rock mountain and decorated with roaring flames.

The inside of the temple was a lot like the temple back in Besaid. Filled with pedestals and statues of people praying. There were the usual huge statues of the past summoners who defeated Sin, and centered in the back was the stairs that led to the fayth. Finally there was the same faint, barely noticeable song being sung through the temple.

"Don't we need permission to go in?" I asked Belgemine as I followed her to the stairs.

She shook her head. "No. Summoners and guardians are allowed to go in and out as they please."

I thought that was kind of stupid. What if someone pretending to be a summoner or guardian went in there just to rob the place?

Morons.

Anyway, we went through the whole cloister of trials shebang before finally arriving at the Chamber of Fayth. Like before Belgemine waited for me while I went on to face the fayth alone.

The chamber was the usual dark, word-theme room with an air of controlled power. In the center was the familiar statue built into the floor with a clear surface over it. Unlike the other two fayth though, this statue was of a man. He stood with his well-muscled back facing out with flames sprouting around him. On his left hand was a huge, gold and red metal claw.

I kneeled down and touched the clear surface before standing up and quickly backing away. Three seconds later there was a flash of light that held an image of a creature I couldn't distinguish in it before it dissolved into a person.

The fayth was a man wearing an armored outfit that looked very familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen it. He was taller than me with broader shoulders and arms, and stood with a straight, military stance. His skin was deeply tanned and he had a stern face and piercing ebony eyes.

"I am the fayth of Ifrit," he said, his deep voice booming across the room. "Who is it that stands before me?"

"I-I am Tidus," I stuttered in reply, unconsciously taking a step back. Even though he was see-through, this guy was still pretty intimidating. Maybe he was related to Auron in life. "I am the summoner from Zanarkand who has come to ask for your aeon."

Ifrit cocked his head to the side and looked me up and down with meticulous eyes. I found myself feeling self-conscious and a little embarrassed by how I must have appeared to this man… or ghost, or fayth, or whatever the hell he was. I wasn't exactly impressible with my torn, dirty jeans and wrinkled, sweaty shirt and hoodie.

"So you are the one they sent," Ifrit finally said, sounding disgusted. "How disappointing. I have to wonder if you're even _worthy_ of receiving my aeon."

My jaw dropped in shock. Was this guy/fayth/ghost/thing seriously insulting me? And denying me his aeon on top of all of that?

Oh hell no.

"Worthy? Worthy? Who exactly needs who here?" I yelled, pointing a finger at him. "You and your little fayth pals are the ones who kidnapped _me_ from _my_ home and turned me into some sort of hybrid priest/grim reaper thing without even asking! And then you send me to some new world without any sort of explanation or information about it, and tell me I'm supposed to _save_ it from some twisted Godzilla gone wrong? Oh yeah, I'm definitely the _unworthy_ one here!"

I was breathing hard at the end of my rant. Okay, I'll admit that what Ifrit said wasn't really all that bad, and usually wouldn't piss me off so easily. But I was already stressed, confused, depressed, and irritated over what happened to Kilika the day before, and this guy putting me down was the last straw.

I think I shocked Ifrit because he was staring at me with wide eyes. I in turn found myself turning a new shade of red unknown to man and staring down at my shoes in embarrassment and lingering anger. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of us before the most unlikely thing happened: Ifrit began to laugh.

Deep, booming guffaws that bounced off the chamber walls and sent a shiver down my spine. Man, if I thought this guy's gaze was intimidating then his laugh was like a devil's. It made me wonder if I really wanted his help after all.

"You've got balls, boy," he finally said after he stopped cackling. "I suppose giving you some of my power might not be so bad."

_Gee, thanks,_ I thought sarcastically, but didn't say it. Just in case, you know, the guy changed his mind and decided I wasn't courageous at all but just a brat. Which I am, but he didn't need to know that.

Ifrit raised one hand where a red ball of light began to form. Casually he tossed it up and down while staring at me with dark, dark eyes. "Tell me, Tidus from Zanarkand; if I do give you a portion of my power, what will you do with it?"

I raised an eyebrow at his (stupid) question. "What do you think I'm going to do with it? I'm gonna use it to defeat Sin and go home!"

"Really?" He grinned down at me. Like a shark. "Then show me what you can do, boy."

Ifrit raised the ball of crimson light and threw it at me. I braced myself for the sharp impact as his power melted into me, and strung us together in a powerful bond. The power of the aeon Ifrit had now become mine.

* * *

On the way back to Kilika's port I faced down a sinspawn on my own for the first time.

Now usually I wouldn't mention much about my battles against fiends, sinspawn, and rapid fans. It's not really all that interesting after all. I mostly just stood in the background and let Belgemine take care of the little critters with her magic. And even later on when I did participate in the fights it still wasn't all that entertaining. It was just an endless parade of hacking, slashing, and casting spells until the opponent finally croaked.

However my battle in Kilika is something I feel I should mention since what happened during and afterward that incident is sort-of important to my story.

The fight happened as we were walking down the steps from the temple down into the jungle. Belgemine was (like always) walking ahead of me. That's probably why when the ground began to shake and the sinspawn popped out of the ground like a daisy she was the first one to go down.

"Belgemine!" I yelled in warning as a long green tentacle exploded up from the ground and attacked her. She managed to doge it but then another rose up from behind her and slapped her across the back. She went flying off to the side before hitting the ground, unconscious.

I, naturally, ran after her. I nearly got to where she laid in a crumpled heap before the tentacle duo made their move on me. One went after my head while the other went for my legs, each from opposite directions. I had to do a leap and roll to manage not to get double whammed.

After I rolled across the ground—obtaining some nice road rash by the way—I stumbled to my feet and over to Belgemine. When I got to her I noticed that on her back was a deep, vertical slice that oddly wasn't bleeding. The skin around the cut was turning a pale green that sent alarms ringing in my head.

"Crap," I cursed, carefully turning her over so that I could drag her further off to the side, and away from the tentacles. Once she was safe I turned back to face the two limbs and the giant shell creature—which I just noticed—that sat between them.

_Well, shit; what am I supposed to do now?_ I wondered before jumping off to the right as the left tentacle attacked. Then I was jumping back to the left as the right tentacle. It was like a game of hot potato where I was the potato.

I couldn't dodge them forever; my speed and endurance have their limits after all. And after a few more rounds one finally managed to wrap around my ankle and trip me. On instinct I braced my hands in front of me as I hit the ground, and rolled onto on my side. When I realized that the tentacle was still wrapped around my leg, I began kicking wildly at it until it finally released me. Then I crawled backwards to get away from it.

I looked down at my ankle and hissed when I saw the damage. It looked just like Belgemine's wound with the same clogged blood and green skin. Adrenaline drowned out the pain for the moment, but I knew it was only a matter of time before that went away and the pain would start.

**Need some help, boy?** asked a gruff voice in my mind.

_Ifrit?_ I wondered dazedly. _What do you want?_

**What do you think? I'm here to help you from getting killed,** said Ifrit, sounding bored.

_Are you sure you can you stop it? It's really strong…_

**Just shut up and summon me, boy, before you faint from the poison. **

_Poison?_

**Yeah. Why else did you think your skin was changing colors?**

Staring down at my ankle, I realized that little gray spots were beginning to take form on the green flesh around my wound. It was really gross.

_Fine. Right. Help me then._

**You need to summon me then, boy.**

_Oh, right._ I closed my eyes and just like with Valefor, envisioned in my mind reaching for a ball of red light. The moment my hand wrapped around it the ground began to shake and tremble and then there was a giant roar as Ifrit took the stage.

I opened my eyes and saw what looked like a demonic dog crouched in front of me protectively. It had flame-like hair, a brown body, ebony horns and some seriously wicked looking claws.

_Whoa. Scary._

Watching Ifrit fight was a lot different than watching Valefor fight. While Valefor was all grace, agility, and precision, Ifrit was the opposite; rough, wild, and powerful. All in all, it was an interesting fight.

Ifrit took out the two tentacles first by actually ripping them out of the ground, and then setting them on fire. After they were gone the giant shell in the middle opened up to reveal some weird plant-thing hiding inside. It tried to spray something at Ifrit (I think it was a cloud of poison) but the aeon just brushed it off like it was nothing. I guess being an aeon made you invulnerable to that kind of stuff.

The plant-thing tried to hit him with a few more tricks but none of it seemed to affect him. When it went to magic the aeon just dodged it. Finally (I guess after growing bored) Ifrit jumped behind the plant-thing and grasped its top shell and yanked it off. The plant-thing let out a shriek and tried to get away but with no more covering to protect it, it was now vulnerable to Ifrit's flames.

Five minutes later, after successfully roasting the plant-thing into ashes, he turned around and rumbled over to where I sat holding Belgemine. I had dug through the small bag she took with her everywhere and found a small green bottle labeled 'Antidote,' and had forced some of the liquid down her throat. I guess it worked because her skin was returning to normal and her wound was finally beginning to bleed normally.

I gulped down another bottle before making a face. It tasted like super sour grapes mixed with some lemon. What a nasty combination.

"Well that was impressive," I told Ifrit, finally looking up at him. He had amber eyes that seemed to burn with fire and a hint of arrogance.

_How fitting._

"Um, before you go, I have one more favor to ask of you," I continued. "Do you think you can take us both back to Kilika's port? I don't know when Belgemine will wake up, and we're both bleeding pretty badly so we probably won't last long on our own in the jungle against the fien—"

I never got a chance to finish my question. Ifrit, apparently understanding my reasoning and agreeing, grabbed me and tossed me onto his back like I was a backpack. Then after picking up Belgemine and holding her carefully in one arm, he ran to the edge of balcony and jumped off.

Jumping off of a balcony on the side of a mountain into a dense forest is as terrifying as it sounds. I had to wrap my arms in a death hold around Ifrit's thick neck and dig my knees into his back so I wouldn't go flying off. Then I buried my face in his hot hair, closed my eyes, and prayed that I didn't lose my lunch or life on this daredevil jump.

We hit the ground hard; hard enough that I accidently bit the inside of my mouth when my jaw clacked together. We were still for a moment before Ifrit took off at a surprisingly fast speed through the jungle. Flashes of green were all I saw of the forest as the aeon effortlessly bypassed trees, people, and fiends.

With Ifrit's Tarzan act we got back to Kilika's port in record time. We made quite an entrance jumping out of the trees and landing on the docks. I think we actually made a few people faint. I'm pretty sure I saw an old woman grasp her chest before going down.

"What, you couldn't just walk?" I muttered to the aeon as I unwound my arms from around his neck, and slid down off his back. I tried to take a step and ended up stumbling only to be caught by one of the villagers.

"You okay, kid?" he asked before noticing my bleeding ankle. He then wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder. I leaned heavily against him since standing on my injured ankle sent spikes of pain up my leg.

"Someone take her and bring her to the inn," the man told the other villagers, nodding to the still unconscious Belgemine in Ifrit's arms.

As the villagers helped us to the inn, I looked back over my shoulder to the aeon standing there watching us. I gave him a nod and mouthed 'thank you' to him.

Ifrit gave me a sharp-toothed smile that, somehow, managed to convey an unsaid 'you're welcome, boy.'

That, and a chill of fear down everyone's back.

* * *

"It was a sinspawn called Geneaux," Belgemine told me later after we were all fixed up and on our way back to Luca on the S.S. Winno.

I looked over to her from where I was laying on my bed throwing a blitzball that I had found up and down in the air. "Sinspawn? You mean that thing came from Sin?"

"Mmm." Belgemine nodded from her perch on her own bed. She was leafing through some boring book. "It probably fell there when Sin attacked Kilika the day before."

"Wow. It seems like Sin still keeps destroying even after it leaves," I muttered.

"Yes. Sin never completely leaves you," Belgemine agreed melancholy.

I stared at her silently before tracing my eyes to her back. The wound was completely healed now and the only trace of it left was the thin scar that was already fading. That thin blemish though left a scar of guilt on me that would just not go away.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better," I told Belgemine.

She looked up at me and gave a careless shrug. "It's fine, boyo. No one could have predicted that sinspawn would be there."

"Yeah, but you got hurt really badly. And then I couldn't even heal you after you got hurt. I feel so useless," I grumbled, turning back to continue throwing my ball.

"Well I can help you there. I can teach you White magic so you'll be able to heal and protect both yourself and others," she offered.

"Really? You can do that?" I asked in surprise as I sat up, and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Sure. You're a summoner and all summoners have the ability to be a healer." Belgemine regarded me with hilarity as I pumped my arm in the air in victory. "You seem very pleased over this. I think even more pleased than you are to be a summoner."

"I think am," I admitted, grinning stupidly. "So when do we start?"

"Right now if you're up to it."

"Of course!"

"Very well then. The first spell I'll teach you is the most basic of them: cure."


	5. Part I: Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** I**:** C**hapter** F**ive

* * *

We got back to Luca two days before the blitzball tournament was supposed to begin, and I was now getting anxious. I wanted to see Yuna and Wakka and the Besaid Aurochs again. I wanted to hurry up and finish this stupid pilgrimage so I could (hopefully) go home and play blitzball again. But most importantly, I wanted to see Auron again. I hadn't been away from him for more than three days since he came to Zanarkand all those years ago. It was… hard not having him there.

If you couldn't tell already, I was very close to Auron. He was my sentinel, you could say. The unwavering force that kept me grounded and focused. See, I'm kinda like the sea; always changing and never staying in one place for long. I needed something solid in my life to keep me together. And that's what Auron was. My stone sentinel.

I like to think that I mean just as much to him as he does to me but it was always hard to tell with Auron. He wasn't exactly all sugar, spice, and everything nice. He's more like salt, vinegar, and everything dry. But I'm pretty sure I meant something to him. I mean, we spent ten years together with just the two of us; you don't just _not_ grow on a person after all that time.

You know, I still remember the day we met. I had been standing on the sidewalk watching a blitzball game on a giant screen on one of the buildings. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and saw Auron for the first time.

Now, you have to understand that I was seven at the time, and a pretty skittish kid. So when I saw this huge (I was also very short) man with one eye, scars, and a huge ass sword I naturally freaked. I screamed something like 'Stranger Danger!' and took off running in the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was following me, and found that he was just standing there with a 'WTF?' look on his face.

I still crack up when I think about it.

Of course, later on he came by the house and introduced himself to my mom and me like a normal person, and explained that he was not a stalker, kidnapper, rapist and/or pedophile. He gained my mom's immediate approval and unquestionable trust when he said that he was actually an old friend of Jecht's, and had felt that he owed it to the dead man to pay his respects to Jecht's wife and kid.

It took me a bit longer to warm up to him. Scaring me with his sneak-up act earlier had taken off some favorable points for him, and being a friend of Jecht's… well let's just say he was well into the negatives at that point. It actually took the death of my mom just for me to even acknowledge that he existed.

It was at my mom's funeral after everyone had left, and it was just me and Auron standing in front of my mom's grave. I was (besides ignoring Auron) trying not to cry, or scream at my mom for leaving me alone, or start cursing Jecht for taking her away. Auron—being the smart guy he is—knew what I was trying to hold back, and told me, quite frankly, that it was okay for me to cry. He said he doubted anyone would care if they saw me bawling over my dead mom, and even then that was unlikely since it was just me, a grave, and a non-existent space (aka: Auron). I cracked after that and had a good, long (and last) tear fest before Auron dragged me home because it was beginning to rain, and he was not going to 'watch over my sick, snotty carcass.'

That conversation pretty much broke the ice between us. After that it was ten long, blissful years of "I'm not cleaning that up you know," and "I'm right, you're wrong, and that's all there is to it," and the ever famous, "I'm in jail. Can you bail me out?" before we got thrown to Spira.

So with all that in mind, can you blame me for missing him just a teeny, little bit?

_Anyway,_ moving back to the story. It was two days before the tournament and I was wandering around Luca trying to find Shelinda. I hadn't seen her since our first meeting, and was curious about what she had been up to since then.

Belgemine had grudgingly let me out without her company after I proved to her that I knew where I was going. Most people probably don't know this, but I have an excellent memory when it comes to directions. Growing up in a huge place like Zanarkand teaches you to pay close attention to your surroundings so you don't get lost because trust me; getting lost in Zanarkand is one of the worst things that can happen to you there. And since Luca is not even a quarter the size of Zanarkand I had easily memorized most, if not all, of the streets, landmarks, shops, and even the basic layout of Luca.

Not even Belgemine could keep me locked up in her home after that.

So there I was happily trotting along checking out all the sights and some of the girls when I noticed a peculiar sight. Five men only slightly older than me wearing the same red outfit were surrounding the oddest looking creature. It looked like a blue cat standing up on two legs with a horn in the middle of its forehead while also wearing clothes. I walked closer to get a better look and realized that while its face, fur, eyes, and tail were all catlike its body structure was nearly identical to a very buff human man.

_I've seen them before. Belgemine showed me in her book. Now what were they called again… Rhono? Rhino? Ronso?_ I tried to recall before dismissing the thought. Instead I focused my attention on the men who looked like they were harassing the poor kitty. Just like I can't stand people putting others down, I also can't stand people who bully others. Another little tic I developed thanks to Jecht.

So, being the impulsive, thick, and _dense_ (note the emphasis on dense) kid I was, I marched over there ready to lay a smack down of epic proportions on any would-be bullies.

As I got closer I could finally hear what they were saying, and none of it sounded good to me. Once again, please remember my emphasis on 'dense.'

"—we can't protect you if you don't hand it over, sir."

"I don't have it with me right now. Can't I simply give it to you at a later time?"

"No. It must be now or else—"

Okay. I had heard enough. These guys were going down.

"Hey!" I called, stopping a few feet from the group. The men turned around to face me while the kitty just looked up over their heads at me. Now that I had a clearer view of the kitty I could see that he was pretty old and worn down looking.

_Harassing the elderly. How much lower can you get?_

"What do you want?" one of the men asked pompously.

"Leave that defenseless kit—I mean, person, alone. Don't you have any dignity? Picking on the elderly; what's wrong with your brains?"

The five men plus one kitty stared me in shock for about ten seconds before their expressions changed. Two of the men looked like they were trying not to laugh, while two others just looked really annoyed. Only one seemed completely indifferent about the whole thing, and the kitty actually looked amused.

"Is he serious?" one man whispered to the other.

"Of course I'm serious," I snapped, irritated. "Step away from the kitty and no one gets hurt!"

"Kitty?" sputtered one of the guys. He looked at me like I had just told him I eat babies for lunch. "How can you, what is wrong—"

"Did you just call him a _cat_?" shouted another man, interrupting his companion.

"I think he called him a kitty, not a cat," corrected yet another man.

"Same damn thing," the guy snapped back. He took a step towards me and glared at me like I had just insulted his whole family linage.

"You have a big mouth, kid, and it is beginning to tick me off. Now you're going to apologize to us and to him or so help me I will—"

"That is enough, commander," ordered a deep, deep voice.

The man and I both looked to the speaker. The kitty had stepped passed the men and towards us with a serious look on his weathered face. "I think you've said enough. Isn't it time you took your men back to headquarters?"

"But, sir—" the guy tried to complain only to be stopped by a frigid look from the kitty.

"Sir!" The persnickety asshole saluted the kitty, gave me an evil look, and then ordered the rest of the men off. I watched them go before turning back to the kitty to find him watching me with an amused look.

"Um, what's going on?" I asked feeling very lost.

"I believe you were telling the warrior monks to stop harassing the maester they were ordered to protect," explained the kitty, smiling at me.

Oh. Well shit. Don't I feel like an idiot.

I laughed nervously as my face turned a nice pink color. "Oh sorry. I thought they were bullying you or something so I… well, yeah."

Kitty smiled at me kindly. "No harm done, child. You were simply doing what you felt was right. An admirable trait in anyone."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at that. "I would think you'd comment on how disrespectful it is to eavesdrop on other people's conversation."

The feline's smile widened to reveal some sharp looking teeth. "I figured the embarrassment of being caught eavesdropping was enough of a reprimand for you."

I gave him a 'well, duh' look.

"So will I be given the honor of knowing the name of my savior?"

"It's Tidus," I informed him, rolling my eyes at the 'savior' part. "So do you have a name too, or should I just keep calling you Kitty?"

"I am Maester Kelk Ronso," introduced Maester Kelk Ronso, bowing his head slightly. "I have just returned from visiting Mt. Gagazet. The men you assumed were harassing me were actually the party sent to escort me to my home."

"Yeah, sorry about that again. Those guys just looked so much like punks to me; what with their high-and-mighty attitude and matching clothes. They look like some gang-wannabes," I grumbled.

"Their matching clothes are actually their uniforms as warrior monks," Kelk explained calmly even as his eyes glittered with mirth.

"Really? Wow, that sucks. You know that's probably why they're so nasty to everyone. They know they look stupid and feel that they have to make everyone who sees them feel the same," I mused, tapping a finger against my chin. Then I recalled who I was speaking to and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry. I'm being disrespectful again aren't I?"

"Perhaps a little," agreed Kelk. "However I believe you can be forgiven since I was thinking something along the same lines."

I stared at the Maester mutely for a moment before bursting out laughing. Kelk was calm for about five seconds before he too joined me in laughing at the wardrobe malfunctions of the warrior monks of Yevon.

* * *

Maester Kelk Ronso—also dubbed as Kitty by me—was a Ronso from Mt. Gagazet who had come to live in Bevelle early on in his life. His father had been Maester of Spira's judicial system before him, and so it was decided as soon as he was born that he too would take over the position. Kelk had been ruling Maester for forty-three years now.

"Don't you ever get bored with it?" I asked him as we walked through Luca together.

"No. Honor and justice is what the Ronso are all about," Kelk stated firmly.

Kelk seemed to take his duties as both a maester and Ronso very seriously. He considered both roles as major factors in who he was. He told me that he saw no greater honor in life than to serve the people of Spira.

That's probably why I didn't tell him I was a summoner at first. I felt ashamed of myself when he said those words because I knew that the only reason I was bothering to go against Sin was because I wanted to go home.

Kelk was the exact opposite of me. I found myself admiring him for his integrity and strength of character. He was so very different from anyone I had ever met before, and I don't mean just physically either. He believed in showing kindness and protecting all people of Spira no matter their race or beliefs. It was a refreshing change from the usual Yevonites who refused to even bother thinking for themselves.

Eventually though we had to part ways, but not before promising to meet again.

"You're the first person I met who isn't obsessed with Yevon," I told him seriously. "And also the first giant cat I have ever seen."

"Then you must not have met many people," Kelk commented with the usual look of amusement he seemed to wear around me.

"You have no idea," I agreed with a grin.

And so I parted ways with yet another new friend, but I didn't have long to brood about it. The tournament was abruptly upon me, and I suddenly found myself facing way more important matters that would determine if I saw Kitty again in this life, or the next.

* * *

It was the day of the blitzball tournament.

There are no words, no expressions that could describe how happy I was that the day had finally arrived. The sheer relief that I felt at the idea that I was going to _finally_ find Auron actually made me feel lighter. Even Ifrit made a remark on how I was 'glowing brighter than a love-struck teenage girl.'

I responded in kind by politely telling him to shove it.

Since the tournament didn't start until noon I spent most of the morning at the local cafe where I could hear the announcers talk about the teams arriving, and would know when Wakka and crew would arrive.

"Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2. All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them—a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?" said the perky announcer guy number 1. I didn't bother trying to remember their names.

"Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year," agreed perky announcer guy number 2.

"Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is... Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!" cheered perky announcer guy number 1.

"Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today," agreed (again) perky announcer guy number 2.

"You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!" cheered perky announcer guy number 1 before moving on.

"Now our next team off the ramp is… Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today," perky announcer guy number 1 said snidely.

"Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid," agreed (yet again) perky announcer guy number 2.

I squeezed the glass I was holding until it cracked. I was pissed off after I heard those perky assholes make fun of Wakka and the Besaid Aurochs. Who cared if they weren't very good, or hadn't won a game in years? The fact that they came back every year and tried their best made them the best team out of the league as far as I was concerned.

I was so busy mentally cussing out those stupid announcer guys that I completely forgot the reason I was listening to them in the first place. When I finally remembered what they said—our next team off the ramp is the Besaid Aurochs—ten minutes had already gone by. I took off at a sprint to the docks only to find that they had come and gone.

"Shit," I muttered, kicking some rubbish on the ground. I looked around one more time just to make sure I didn't miss them, and noticed a large crowd growing at a nearby boat. Curious, I wandered over to see what was going on, and arrived right as the passengers disembarked from the ship.

A band started playing as the first passenger—a young man—disembarked. Since I was in the back of the crowd I couldn't get a good look at him, but from what I could see this guy was _not_ completely human. First of all he was unnaturally tall with long, long limbs, and a well muscled form. His hair was… odd. It was blue and short with three long spikes that stood up like tentacles. Finally there were his clothes. A pair of opened robes that revealed his naked chest tied with a big green sash. This wouldn't be an altogether bad look, but his robes looked like someone took a couple huge blankets and just sewed them together.

It was official. The people of Spira were all fashion-impaired.

"That's a Guado, right?" whispered a man somewhere in front of me.

"Who could it be?" wondered a woman somewhere off to my left.

"Isn't that... Maester Seymour?" asked another man to the right.

The man—Seymour?—turned to face the ship, kneeled down deeply, and did the Yevon bow. The crowd copied him and bowed too as an old man in robes appeared and descended from the ship.

"People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome," said the assumed-Mika, giving a grandfatherly smile. "Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you... the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past."

Seymour rose with an unnatural fluid grace and turned to the crowd to give a courtly bow.

"As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon," continued Mika.

I guess that was Seymour's cue since he stepped forward to give a charming smile to the crowd. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as maester to the best of my abilities."

Everyone in the crowd—except me—did the Yevon bow. I heard the guy next to me mutter something about disrespect to me, but I ignored him. I was trying to figure out if maybe this Seymour guy was possibly Anima's crazy son.

As everyone rose Mika walked off with his posse of guards. Seymour lingered for a moment, sweeping his eyes across the crowd before walking off after the old man.

The crowd began to scatter but I lingered and watched the group walk away. Part of me was tempted to run after Seymour and ask him if his mommy was the fayth Anima. But a bigger part of me wanted to just forget it and go on looking for Wakka and Yuna.

I decided to follow the stronger instinct and walked away too. Investigating Seymour could come later; I had friends to find.

* * *

Since Wakka and the others weren't at the docks, I decided to check out the stadium since I couldn't imagine any other place that they might go to. On the way there I got kidnapped by the Al Bhed.

Yeah, you read that right. I got kidnapped by the Al Bhed. Anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu here? Anyone?

Of course it wasn't really my fault although I'm sure Belgemine and Auron would say otherwise. I was just walking along minding my own business when something knocked me out from behind. When I woke up I found myself on a cold metal ground with my head in Yuna's lap, and her face hovering over mine in concern.

"You're awake!" she cried when she noticed my open eyes. "Oh thank goodness. I was worried my spell had no effect."

"Yuna?" I asked groggily. "Where did, what happened to—"

"You were captured by the Al Bhed and brought to their ship," Yuna quickly explained as she brushed some of my hair back. "They captured me not soon after, and locked us both up in this room."

"Why?" I asked, struggling to sit up. A wave of nausea hit me though so I decided that laying down on Yuna's lap was a better idea.

"I asked them the same thing and they told me that they were going to use me to blackmail Wakka into throwing the match," she said. A frown creased her lips in obvious anger and distaste.

"Wow, what a bunch of sore losers." I also felt a stab of anger at the Al Bhed Psyches for pulling such a stunt. Wakka and his team deserved the chance to play to the best of their abilities, and not lose because they were told to.

"What can we do about it?" I asked my companion.

She shrugged. "Nothing at the moment. We just have to wait for my guardians to save us, and then let Wakka know I'm safe."

I groaned in frustration. "Greeeeeat. Hey, wait a minute, why did they kidnap me too? They couldn't know that we're friends so what could they gain by capturing _me_?"

She furrowed her brow in thought. "I don't know. They didn't mention anything about you."

I groaned again. "What is it with the Al Bhed and kidnapping me? Did their nation send out a memo or something?"

She giggled. "Maybe they think you're one of them since you have such blond hair and tan skin."

"I doubt it. My face doesn't look very Al Bhed."

"Well, neither does mine, and I'm half Al Bhed."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Mm-hm." Yuna nodded and pointed to her one green eye. "My mother was Al Bhed so that's why I have one green eye and one blue eye. Green eyes are such a strong trait among the Al Bhed that even people who are only a quarter will still end up with some green in their eyes."

I whistled, deeply impressed. "Wow. Those are some impressive genes."

Yuna nodded, but looked a bit startled. "Yes, but what was that thing you just did?"

"What thing?"

"The shrieking thing you did with your lips."

"You mean whistling?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah. We do it at blitzball games in Zanarkand to cheer on our favorite players," I explained. "Here, make your fingers like this and then blow."

"Like this?" Yuna asked making a clumsy copy of mine.

"No, more like this," I said, correcting her fingers. "Now try."

Yuna blew but all that came out was a faint noise. Still, it was an improvement compared to her silent one before.

"Just keep practicing," I advised her, finally sitting up. My head and stomach had cleared up enough so that I didn't feel sick sitting up anymore, and leaned against the wall. I decided to wait in trying to stand though. It would suck if I puked in this small space with no windows.

We were both quiet for a few minutes before I spoke up again. "I see you became a summoner."

Yuna nodded, wearing a small but proud smile. "Yes. I became a summoner a few days after you left."

"Told you so," I said in a sing-song voice.

She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as the room suddenly shook. There was a giant cracking sound from outside, another quiver, and then the door snapped open.

Yuna and I slowly stood up and looked out of the small room to outside. It looked like we were on the deck of the ship that was still anchored at Luca's docks. Hurrying towards us were two people that I assumed were our saviors.

"Lulu, Kimahri!" cried Yuna, running out to embrace the female member of the duo. She hugged Yuna back tightly while whispering something to her that I couldn't hear. She was a few inches taller than Yuna, and had long black hair done in braids, pale skin, and dark red eyes. She was very lovely in an icy, dominatrix kind of way. Nice, but not exactly my style.

Finally Yuna stepped back and went to give the other savior a hug. This one was a Ronso who was smaller and younger than Kelk, and had a broken horn. His fur was also a darker blue color than Kelk's, and he wore armor instead of robes. I saw a content look in his eyes as he stared down at Yuna.

Deciding to make my entrance, I walked out onto the deck where I instantly caught the attention of the two newcomers. The woman immediately eyed me with suspicion as she looked me up and down. When she finally caught my eye I waved at her.

"Hi," I greeted cheerfully.

"Who are _you_?" the woman asked haughtily. I didn't blame her for acting that way though. I mean, if I was a woman and could walk around in a dress like hers without my boobs popping out of the top then I'd be pretty haughtily too.

"I'm Tidus," I said, deciding to be polite even if she wasn't. "A friend of Yuna's. Oh, and Wakka's too. And the Besaid Aurochs. Who are you?"

"Lulu," the woman said slowly, still staring at me but not as intently as before. She now looked more curious if anything. "I'm guessing that you're the summoner Tidus that inspired the Aurochs to actually try and win a game, huh?"

"Guilty," I admitted, smiling. "I hope they actually followed my advice after I left."

"Oh they did. Trust me on that." Lulu looked me up and down again before shaking her head.

"You really do look like him," she murmured to herself.

"What was that?" I asked.

Lulu shook her head again. "Nothing. I was simply talking to myself."

"Okay," I said, not knowing what else to say. "Hey, shouldn't we go tell Wakka that Yuna's okay?"

Lulu's wine-red eyes widened as she remembered the match. She turned around and tossed up a ball of lightning into the sky, which I guess, was the signal to Wakka.

I was a bit amazed by the magic I had just seen though instead of the game. Belgemine had told me about the different magic in Spira but I had only seen White magic so far. Lulu's magic was a totally new thing.

I wanted to ask her if she was a Black mage and if so what else could she do, but didn't have the chance. We were too busy hurrying back to the docks to catch the last of Wakka and the Aurochs' game. We got there just in time to see Wakka score the final goal.

"Unbelievable! The Aurochs win the match 3-2!" shouted the announcer on one of the screens above us.

"They won!" I cheered, punching the air in victory.

Yuna clapped and jumped up and down in excitement. "We did it! We're in the finals!"

Lulu took in the sight of the haggard Wakka on the screen, and then shook her head. "Not the most… graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing."

I turned to face her with a frown. "Hey, aren't you being just a bit unfair?"

"Excuse me?" Lulu asked icily.

"Wakka worked hard to win this game. I don't know who this Chappu guy is, but comparing Wakka to him isn't fair," I told her firmly.

Lulu slowly narrowed her eyes at me in a way that made me take a few steps back just to make sure I wasn't standing in a puddle of water.

Luckily, Yuna came to my rescue. She tugged on my arm and said, "Come on, let's go see the team. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

I was a bit doubtful about that, but I still followed her to locker rooms. When we entered the Aurochs' locker room nearly all the players were huddled around Wakka, who was laying down on one of the benches. Only one player, Datto, noticed our arrival.

"Lady Yuna!" he cried with a smile before looking past her to me. "And you!"

I waved at him. "Hi, Datto."

"You actually came," he said in awe before breaking out into an even wider smile. "This is great! Did you see our game? We won! We actually beat the Al Bhed Psyches!"

"I know. You all did a great job," I said, patting him on the shoulder before moving onto where Yuna was talking to Wakka and the rest of the team.

"All this because of me. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yuna apologized, giving a deep bow to Wakka.

"How could you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka scolded, ignoring her apology. "Don't go near Al Bhed any more, okay? They're trouble."

"Hey, let it go already," I told him as I came to stand by Yuna. Smirking, I gave him a two-fingered salute. "Miss me?"

Wakka's sour expression melted into one of surprise and then joy. "Tidus! You actually came!"

"Of course I came," I scoffed. "I promised I would remember?"

"Yeah, but we were worried you might change your mind and root for the Luca Goers instead," admitted Letty, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

I snorted. "Why would I root for those arrogant punks? Just because they won a few games doesn't mean they're better than you guys. The fact that you all keep coming back year after year just to play makes you the better team in my book."

"Didn't I tell ya he was an inspiration?" Wakka said dryly to Lulu as he sat up. He hissed and grasped his side before relaxing again.

"Are you okay?" asked Yuna, touching his shoulder lightly. "Do you want me to heal you?"

"I'm fine, Yuna. Just give me a few minutes to rest and I'll be as good as new," Wakka reassured before waving her away. He then turned to face his team, and his expression became serious. "We're facing the Luca Goers next, and if we beat them then we win the tournament. Also, I got something to tell you boys. After this game… I'm retiring. I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball. But you know… Since we're here, we might as well win!"

"Yeah!" the Aurochs cheered, pumping their fists in the air.

One of the players—Botta, I think—raised a timid hand in the air. "A-Am I on the bench?"

Wakka shook his head. "Nah, I'll be warming the bench the first half. Then Jassu will be taking my place since he keeps complaining about how he shoulda been the one injured."

Jassu turned red as everyone around him snickered.

"All right, boys, let's win this one! Let's make the Goers goners!" Wakka shouted, pumping a fist into the air.

"Hooah!" the Aurochs cheered, copying their captain.

All but Wakka and Lulu left the locker room as the horn buzzed for the players to enter the stadium. It was time for the final match between the Besaid Aurochs and the Luca Goers.

"These are some good seats," I told Yuna as I followed her to one of the middle isles of the stadium. We were pretty close to the sphere pool to see the players, but far enough away so that we didn't have to strain our necks to watch them.

"One of the benefits of being the High Summoner's daughter," Yuna told me softly with a giggle.

I laughed and sat down next to her with Kimahri on her other side. I looked over Yuna's head (she was a small girl) at the silent guardian in curiosity. "Hey, Kimahri, you're a Ronso right? So do you know a Kelk Ronso?"

Both Yuna and Kimahri looked at me in surprise.

"You mean Maester Kelk Ronso?" Yuna clarified.

I nodded. "Yeah, him. Do you know him, Kimahri?"

The Ronso shook his head, and turned back to face the sphere. "No. Maester Kelk is wise leader of Ronso. Kimahri is outcast."

"Outcast?" I repeated, perplexed. "Why? Is it because your horn broke? That's a stupid reason to outcast someone."

Kimahri didn't answer. I was going to pester him some more but a horn rang through the stadium, capturing all of our attention.

"This is it, folks! In just a few minutes, the championship game!" said the perky announcer guy number 1 from earlier. I mentally groaned when I heard him. His voice was seriously irritating to me. "But who could have imagined… a championship game between these two teams? Our legendary Luca Goers going against… the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!"

"This looks like history in the making, Bobba," agreed the perky announcer guy number 2. Didn't that guy ever think for himself?

Below us in the sphere pool two teams were getting into position to face off. One of Goers in the front made a gesture at the Aurochs that sent the audience laughing, and me seething.

"They're already going at it, folks! The Goers are taunting the Aurochs!" cried perky announcer guy number 1, clearly entertained by it.

_Like we couldn't see that for ourselves,_ I thought snidely. Hey, if he got to make fun of the Aurochs then I got to make fun of him. It was only fair.

Down in the sphere pool the game finally began. I'll admit that the Luca Goers had some pretty good moves, and I kind of wanted to play them for myself just to see what they could do. However the Besaid Aurochs had clearly improved since the last time I had seen them play. They were stronger, faster, more precise, and weren't afraid to hit back.

I was so proud of them.

At half-time the score was 1-1, but I had faith that they would change that in the second half. When the teams got back out there I noticed that some of the Aurochs looked tired, while Wakka seemed energized after his brief resting period.

"Wakka's gonna take them out," I told Yuna confidently.

And I was right. The Aurochs slaughtered the Goers with 3-1. At the end of the game most of the audience was stunned silent, but Yuna and I were cheering like mad. Even Kimahri wore a small (frightening) smile.

"Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!" cried perky announcer guy number 1. I got a deep thrill at the shock and disbelief in his tone.

_Take that you skeptic, stuck-up bastard,_ I thought maliciously.

Unfortunately, our joy that the Aurochs managed to pawn the Goers was short-lived. Just as we were about to leave to head back to the locker room to congratulate the team, screaming erupted across the stadium. Surprised, I looked to see what was happening and froze.

All across the entrances into the stadium fiends were pouring in. They even came from above us; swooping down to pick at the people like a bird with a worm. Soon they were everywhere, and complete chaos was erupting across the stadium.

I watched at it all and only thought one thing:

_Well, shit. So much for the after party. _


	6. Part I: Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** I**: **C**hapter** S**ix

* * *

Watching the fiends attack the people in the stands brought back a sense of déjà vu for me. It reminded me of the day Sin attacked Zanarkand during my blitzball game. Funny how it felt like a lifetime ago when in reality it was only a few weeks.

Silently, I watched the audience members around me shriek and run in terror from the monsters that were overtaking the stadium. I turned to Yuna to find her pale and gripping her staff tightly.

"What do we do?" I asked her loudly over the screams and roars.

Yuna's head snapped towards me, and she stared at me with wide, wild eyes. "W-We need to stop them before they kill everyone!"

I nodded in agreement. That was my thoughts exactly. The last time I saw a stadium being attacked I couldn't do anything about it, but not this time. This time I could stop the destruction and save the people in the stadium. This time I would not be a useless coward.

_Anima,_ I called to my very first aeon. She was the only one that I actually felt was paying attention to me at the moment. _Anima, I need you._

There was a moment of silence, and then: **I am here.**

I smiled. _Anima we're being attacked by fiends here. Want to help me by getting rid of them?_

**It would be my pleasure,** assured Anima.

My smile grew as I reached inside of me and grasped the white ball of light that I had yet to touch. Once my fingers closed around it there was a rush of cold air before the stadium began to shake as Anima made her first appearance.

Anima was as haunting looking as an aeon as she was a fayth. Resembling a fish (a very ugly, diseased, dying fish) while bound up like a dangerous patient at a mental hospital, she seemed to be dragged out of the underworld itself in chains. She was half blind and it looked like every move she made caused her a great deal of pain.

Everyone across the stadium—myself included—stopped and stared at Anima as she gathered her power and attacked the many fiends. She shot out multiple attacks from her eye that needed only to hit a fiend once to completely destroy it.

Once they were practically all gone (there were a few stragglers as I learned later) she turned to face me. I walked down past the benches and away from the stunned Yuna to where Anima stood, and looked up to meet her single eye with my own.

Anima's eye was a turquoise color that expressed her every emotion. Looking into it I could see all her pain, all the grief and the guilt she carried from her previous life as a human into her new one as a fayth. Seeing it made my chest hurt.

"Anima," I murmured, reaching out to press a single hand against her gruesome face. "Thank you."

Anima let a moan that I knew was a 'you're welcome,' before she disappeared back to her statue, or wherever the hell aeons go when they're not needed.

After she left I turned around to look for Yuna, and instead found everyone in the stadium staring at me. I stared back while wondering _why_ they were staring at me in the first place.

Silence.

More staring.

More staring.

Somewhere, off in the distance, a cricket chirped.

I finally got annoyed and decided it was time to put an end to this. Pointing off somewhere in the horizon I yelled, "Fiend!"

Practically everyone turned around and began screaming. I took that moment of distraction (or stupidity, it's your pick) to sneak off to one of the exits. I'd catch up with Yuna and the others later; right now it was every man for himself.

I nearly made it out you know. I was only a few feet from walking out the door when a strong hand grabbed my shoulder; successfully halting my genius getaway.

_Crap._

Sighing, I turned around to see who had followed me outside, and was met with a pleasant surprise.

"Auron!"

Standing in front of me with his usual red coat, giant sword and black glasses was my guardian. He didn't look very different from the last time I had seen him two weeks ago. Maybe a new hole or rip in his clothes, but that was about it. Unlike me who had been changed inside and out and then shaken a few times just for the heck of it.

"Still alive I see," he greeted, calm and cool as ever.

For some reason, that made me angry. Here I was wrestling with adapting to a new _world_ that I was being _forced_ to save while also worrying and wondering what happened to Auron, only to have said guy come waltzing up to me, and instead of saying something like, 'Hello, glad to see you're okay,' he gets all snide and says, 'Still alive I see.'

_Bastard!_

I'm not ashamed to say that I felt not an ounce of guilt when I punched Auron in the jaw. As far as I'm concerned, he had it coming.

And it wasn't like I hurt him very much anyway. All I really managed to do was knock off his glasses, and maybe give him a small bruise near his lips. Compared to some of the beatings I saw him take later, my punch was like a paper cut to him.

Auron wasn't even dazed. I think he actually expected it, or at least knew he deserved it. Calmly he reached down and picked up his glasses and looked them over before finally putting them back on.

"I'm not apologizing," I told him when he finally looked at me. "You deserve it for ditching me for two weeks."

"I had no power over our separation," Auron replied flatly. "You can thank Jecht for that."

I faltered at that statement. "What? What does my old man have to do with this?"

He ignored my question and began to walk off. "Come on. We have a lot to talk about."

_You got that right,_ I thought, and followed him out of the stadium.

* * *

Auron led me to Luca's dock number 5 where it was empty of people, cargo and a boat. I was fine with it since it meant that whatever he was going to tell me was important and private.

"All right spill it, old man," I said once we stopped. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him hard.

Auron snorted and adjusted his glasses. "You're going to have to be more specific, brat."

"Fine. Who are you, really?" I nearly snarled.

Auron was silent.

"You knew Jecht didn't you? And Yuna's father too, right?" I continued my interrogation. I actually already knew the answer to these questions, but I wanted him to confirm it just so I knew I wasn't imagining things.

"That's correct," he finally answered.

I sighed, feeling the anger and fight drain away. "How?"

Auron gave a half-shoulder shrug that roughly translated in my mind into something like 'well the Nazi republic just took the president hostage—whadda ya gonna do?' "Jecht, Braska and I… Together we defeated Sin ten years ago. Then I went to Zanarkand where I watched over you. So that one day I could bring you to Spira."

"Why did I have to come here?" I questioned softly, rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands.

He paused for a fraction of a second before declaring: "Because Jecht asked me to."

"Is he alive?" I asked emotionlessly.

Auron snorted mirthlessly. "It depends on what you mean by 'alive'. He is no longer human, but then… I felt something of Jecht, there in that shell… couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin…"

_Sin? What does that have to do with…_

No. No way. Not possible.

"It can't be…"

"_I had no power over our separation… You can thank __**Jecht**__ for that_._"_

"It is. Sin is Jecht."

_Deny, deny, deny. If I don't admit it then it can't be true right? __**RIGHT**__?_

"No! That's ridiculous! No way! I don't believe you!" I yelled, shaking my head wildly.

"But it is the truth. Why would I lie to you?" he questioned calmly.

"I don't know!" I yelled back. "I don't know! I don't know anything anymore! My whole world has been turned upside down, and I still haven't figured how to make it right again!"

I collapsed to the ground on my knees and cradled my head in my hands. I felt like a little kid again back when my old man was 'dead' and my mom was dying. Lost and confused with no clue how to go on. It made me want to scream.

"Did you know about the fayth?" I asked the Man Who Knows Everything.

"What about the fayth?" Auron repeated dully.

I raised my head to glare at him between my fingers. "Did you know that they turned me into a summoner?"

"… What?"

"Summoner. They turned me into some all mighty summoner and told me that I had to defeat Sin or else I can't go home," I explained, dropping my hands to my side. I stared up at the man who I trusted more than anyone, and took in a deep breath to steady myself. "Auron, they want me to complete a pilgrimage, get the Final Aeon, and defeat… defeat Sin."

"No," Auron said sharply. "I forbid it. You will not obtain the Final Aeon."

I blinked up at him in surprise. That was the first time he had displayed something other than indifference through our whole conversation.

"But I don't have a choice. They said if I don't then I can't go back to Zanarkand," I explained to him slowly.

"Do you even know what you have to do to get the Final Aeon?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes."

"Then you are aware that you will _die_ after you get the Final Aeon?"

"Yes."

"And yet you still plan to go through with it?" Auron practically growled.

"Do I have a choice?" I shot back, glaring up at him. "I don't exactly have a lot of options here, Auron. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't want you to act like another blind follower of Yevon who throws his life away for a cause that has no purpose," he snapped.

"And I'm not going to! I just… I think if I do this pilgrimage then maybe the fayth will let me go home. They told me I could in the end and I think I believe them," I told him.

Auron stared down at me hard, and I stared back just as strongly. I wanted him to understand, to agree with my decision. I wanted him to say that maybe I was right, and that fighting Sin (_Jecht?_) was the only thing I could do if I wanted to go home.

Finally he let out a deep sigh and looked away. "Do you even know what a summoner's pilgrimage entails?"

"Yes. I've actually already started it. I have three aeons now." I gave him a shaky smile. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Hmp." He rotated one shoulder and looked off to the distance. That was his 'I'm thinking deeply' stance. "Where are you going next?"

"Um, I think to the Djose temple," I said, straining to remember what Belgemine had told me.

He grunted. "And when are you leaving?"

"Later on today," I told him. Then I remembered the reason _why_ I had been waiting for nearly two weeks for him to appear. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and gave a sheepish smile. "Um, I'm kind of in need of a guardian to protect me on my pilgrimage. Think you can be it?"

Auron looked down at me from over the top of his sunglasses with one brow raised. "I thought I already was."

* * *

After Auron and mine's little heart-to-heart I decided to take him back to Belgemine's home. I figured she was probably wondering where I was by now, and was probably worried if she heard about the fiend attack at the stadium.

However, on the way there we ran into some complications. Mainly Seymour.

I guess he saw me summon Anima and wanted to know what I was doing with his mommy's aeon. Of course I remembered my promise to said mommy, and tried to avoid him by hiding behind Auron. My guardian didn't take too well to that idea.

"What are you doing?" he asked me in his 'do I _really_ want to know?' tone when I ducked behind him.

"It's Seymour Guado," I hissed back to him, gripping his red coat tightly as he tried to move away.

"So?"

"He's an emo boy gone wrong."

"What?"

"Keep him away from me, please!"

Seymour and his entourage were steadily getting closer. I closed my eyes and prayed that he was just walking by, and would not stop to talk to me.

"Excuse me."

Well, I guess that answers it then. There is no god.

I peeked out from behind Auron to find Seymour standing in front of us. Auron—being the heartless bastard he is—stepped aside and pushed me forward.

_Traitor!_ I yelled in my mind while giving him a dirty look. Someone cleared their throat in front of me, and I slowly turned to face Seymour Guado.

Now that I was closer to him I could finally see his face better. He was… very odd looking. His bone structure was a lot sharper than a normal human's, and he had a bunch of silvery veins running through his skin. He had hypnotic lavender eyes, and a smile that seemed to say 'harmless, harmless, absolutely nothing to concern yourself with here.'

Too bad I didn't buy it.

"Uhh, yes? Can I help you?" I asked, trying not to stare directly into his eyes. It wasn't hard. It was like trying not to stare directly into the sun.

Seymour's smile never wavered. "Yes. I came to inquire about the aeon that you summoned back at the stadium. It was quite an impressive feat. Thanks to you there were few causalities and Maester Mika managed to make it back to his ship safely."

"Um, you're welcome?" I offered, not really sure what else to say.

Seymour kept smiling but I noticed that it became a bit… sharper. "Tell me, what is the name of that magnificent aeon you summoned?"

"You mean Anima?" I asked, and felt stupid immediately afterward. Of course he meant Anima; I only summoned one aeon, duh.

"Yes… Anima." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I wish to know where you attained it."

"From Baaj Temple," I told him, raising an eyebrow. "But then, you probably already knew that, right?"

Seymour's lavender eyes flashed silver for a second, and I had to resist the urge to take a step back. This guy was seriously beginning to freak me out.

"I take it you've spoken to her then?" he asked, eyes normal once more.

"Yes. We talk a lot. She's told me some… interesting stuff," I admitted.

"Oh? Do you speak to her often?" he enquired, suddenly sounding really interested.

For a second time that day I cursed my own stupidity. Now I really, _really_ didn't want to talk to this man anymore. He made me uncomfortable with his smooth voice, fake smile, and weird, weird eyes.

I turned my head slightly to flash a helpless look at Auron. He got the message and stepped forward while yanking me back behind him. I went more than willingly. As far as I was concerned, Auron could deal with this guy. His sharp words were just as good as his sword in clearing away fiends and people.

"Enough with this interrogation. We have places to go and people to see so kindly get out of our way," Auron said harshly.

Seymour cocked his head slightly to the side. "You… you are Sir Auron, correct? I heard you died ten years ago. I'm pleased to see that it was just a rumor."

Auron snorted. It was his 'cut the bullshit and get out of my way before I turn you into sashimi' snort. While killing Seymour would probably have saved me a lot of trouble, I didn't want to hurt Anima's only son. So I poked Auron twice in the back to remind him that I was still here, and was not interested in seeing a roadside brawl.

"Brat," he replied in a low tone.

"Old man," I shot back with a grin. A verbal insult meant he understood my request and was granting it. See, I told you I was fluent in Auronese.

Seymour watched this all with sharp lilac eyes before bowing his head slightly. "Well, I suppose I should let you two continue on your way then. But before I go might I have the name of my fellow summoner?"

"It's Tidus," I said before Auron could respond. "My name is Tidus."

"Tidus," repeated Seymour, and I nearly shivered from the way he said it. It sounded so… branding. I think Auron heard it too because he visibly tensed up.

"Well then, Lord Tidus, until we meet again," Seymour said, taking a step back before turning around and walking away.

As soon as they were gone Auron spun around to confront me. "What was that?"

"What was what?" I asked innocently.

"You know what. What was that Guado talking about with this 'Anima'?"

I sighed heavily and rubbed the back of my head. "It's a long story."

"Then start talking," shot back my guardian.

And so I told him everything. From dreaming of the fayth to the talking to them in my mind, I told Auron everything that had happened to me since I arrived in Spira. He listened to it all silently with a frown that got bigger and bigger as I went on.

"—and that's why I have to go on the pilgrimage," I finally finished. I looked at my companion carefully before slowly asking, "So what do you think?"

"I think you can't be trusted on your own," he answered bluntly. "I leave you alone for two weeks and you manage to get the fate of the world resting on your shoulders. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey it's not my fault! It's not like I asked for any of this!" I protested, offended. Did he seriously think I _wanted_ to be a summoner? The worst job ever to be thought of in the history of all mankind? Come on!

Auron shook his head and sighed. "Well what's done is done. All we can do now is go along with their plan, and hope you don't die at the end of it."

My shoulders sagged in relief. "I'm glad you finally agree with me."

"Not much left to do is there?" he answered dryly. "Now, take me to this Belgemine's house. I want to meet her."

I grinned, and gave him a two fingered salute. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

When we (finally) arrived at Belgemine's home I found my teacher patiently waiting for us. When I introduced her to Auron, she surprised me by standing up and bowing to him.

"Sir Auron, it is an honor to meet you," greeted Belgemine before standing up straight. "I am summoner Belgemine of Luca."

Auron nodded back to her politely. "Likewise. I suppose you're the one I should thank for watching over the brat here."

I glared at him while Belgemine chuckled. "It was no problem. Tidus is a joy to have around."

I beamed at the compliment while Auron slowly raised an eyebrow at me.

"Really," he said dubiously.

"Yeah, really," I snapped, glaring at him again. "Stop trying to ruin my teacher's opinion of me, old man."

Auron tilted his head back towards Belgemine. "You've been teaching him?"

Belgemine nodded. "Yes. I am also a summoner so I've been helping him learn about his powers, and his duty to Spira."

"How noble of you," he said flatly.

She simply smiled. "So will you be coming with us to the Djose Temple? Tidus refused to continue his pilgrimage until he found you. I decided to go along with him since he is need of a guardian anyway. I'm afraid I'm not much of a protector."

"Hey, you've been doing a great job protecting me," I protested. "If anything I'm the one who can't protect you."

"You're powers are still developing," she reminded, giving me a patient look. "It is natural that I be the one to protect you for the time."

"Well, you won't be doing it alone," commented Auron. "I've agreed to continue guarding him."

Belgemine clapped her hands in delight. "Wonderful! Then let's be off. If we leave right now then we can probably get to Rin's Travel Agency by nightfall."

"Wait, I have to say goodbye to some friends first," I protested, remembering Yuna and the others. "They're probably wondering what happened to me since I took off right after I summoned Anima."

Belgemine looked ready to protest, but Auron beat her by asking, "Where are they at?"

"Um, they might still be at the locker rooms in the stadium. They're the Besaid Aurochs."

Auron snorted in obvious amusement. "Leave it to you to make friends with an entire team of blitzball players. Well, come on then. Let's get this over with."

* * *

I was excited to see Wakka again since I wanted to congratulate him and the others over their victory (and maybe throw in a few 'told you so'), but when we got to the Aurochs' locker room I found out that Wakka had already left with Yuna and the others.

"They've gone on to continue Lady Yuna's pilgrimage," said Letty, looking at me apologetically. "Sorry, bra."

I was of course disappointed when I heard that, but I was happy that I at least had the chance to congratulate the Aurochs. I cheered up too when I heard that Yuna and the others were taking the same road as us so we were bound to run into each other sooner or later.

"So are you ready to leave yet, or do you have some more friends to bid adieu?" asked Belgemine, raising a brow artfully.

I shook my head and gave her a grin. "Yes, but I doubt I'll find them here anytime soon. So for now let's continue on to… where are we going again?"

"Mi'ihen Highroad," answered Auron, already walking off. I hurried after him since I knew he wouldn't wait for me. Auron didn't wait for anyone. Not even god.

Mi'ihen Highroad turned out to be above Luca so we had to go up a few flights of stairs just to get to the stairs leading up to the trail to the highroad. Talk about complicated.

"This is a nice view," I commented once we reached the balcony that led to the stairs, that led to the trail, that led to the highroad. "You can see all of Luca from here."

"Get a good look of it," advised Auron as he came to stand next to me. "This might be the last time you ever see it."

When Auron said that I felt a wave of misery hit me. During the short time I had spent there, Luca had become an important place to me. Saying goodbye to it… it felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend.

_Nothing I can do about that. It's either this place or Zanarkand,_ I told myself firmly before straightening up. With one last look at Luca—_sunny blue ocean, ivory buildings, worn-down stadium_—I turned around and nodded to my guardians.

"Okay. Let's go," I told them, and together we continued on to Mi'ihen Highroad where the rest of my story waited.

* * *

**E**nd **o**f** P**art** I**:** S**tranger


	7. Part II: Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** T**wo** — S**ummoner

**P**art** II**:** C**hapter** O**ne

* * *

Mi'ihen highroad.

A long, long, _long_ trail cutting through a vast plain of grasslands, ruins and fiends. It was the road that connected the city of Luca to Mushroom Rock and was a major part in any summoner's pilgrimage. I was in awe of it until I realized that I was going to be _walking_ the whole damn thing on my own.

"How long is this road?" I asked my two companions, not bothering to hide my whining tone.

"Long," answered Auron, already walking away.

"It's not too bad. We'll be stopping halfway to rest so we won't be facing the whole thing today," comforted Belgemine before following Auron.

"Somehow, I'm not reassured," I muttered to myself while following after my two guardians.

The first thing I noticed on my little trip down the Mi'ihen highroad (besides the many people walking it) was the giant, old statue of a man standing over a dead fiend centered near the start of the road. I stopped to stare at it as we passed by, and tried to remember where I had seen him before.

"That is a statue of Lord Mi'ihen," said Belgemine, noticing my stare. "Remember what I told you about him? He founded the Crusaders about eight centuries ago."

"Oh, yeah. I remember now," I said, snapping my fingers. "But why is there a statue of him here?"

"Because this is the road Lord Mi'ihen walked along when he went to Bevelle to answer the challenge that his group was a threat to Yevon," answered Auron.

"Huh. Cool." I gave the statue another appreciative look—that sword he had _was_ pretty badass—before continuing on down the highroad.

A little bit farther down the road we came to a ruined tower being inspected by an old, hunched man in green and white robes.

"Do you know what those ruins are from?" he asked me when we passed by him.

I stopped and studied the tower before shrugging. "Some old city?"

The old man nodded eagerly. "Correct. A city most ancient! A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies!"

"True, but I believe humans are also the only ones capable of defeating Sin," Belgemine commented, joining the discussion.

"A good reply. I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner. Ahh, where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar," introduced the old man, bowing slightly. "I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets. My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen. Fragile smiles on people's faces, crumbling at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on the summoners to give them a reason to rejoice once more."

"Don't worry; we will," assured Belgemine, glancing at me. I carefully avoided making eye contact.

After that we continued on. A few minutes went by when I began to notice something odd. It seemed that after every five steps we took a fiend would pop up to interrupt us. After we took it down and walked another five steps a new one would take its place.

What was irritating was that it seemed to be only happening to us. All the other people on the highroad were safe and oblivious to the mountain of fiends that kept coming at us.

_What the hell?_

"Why are there so many fiends here?" I asked as I watched Auron cut down a dual horned beast. "Shouldn't such a popular road be better guarded?"

Belgemine 'hmmed' in agreement, and tapped her lower lip in thought. "It is odd that there aren't many Crusaders here to guard the highroad like usual. I wonder where they could all be."

"I think we'll find out soon enough," said Auron, sheathing his sword.

Belgemine and I both looked at him in puzzlement.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He pointed down the road. "If you were paying attention then you would have noticed that every Crusader that we've seen has been going in that direction."

"And since we're going that way too we're bound to find out what they're up to," connected Belgemine, smirking. "Well in that case let's continue on. I'm curious to see what they're planning."

And so we went on. The next thing we encountered down Mi'ihen highroad were three chocobo Knights, who were passing by and stopped to give us a warning. There were two women and one man and they all looked to be in their early twenties at best.

"A summoner party, I presume?" asked what looked like the leader. It was one of females who had short, vibrant red hair, light tan skin, dark brown eyes, and wore an interesting outfit that looked like a bright yellow and green bathing suit with a purple and white armor over it.

I tried not to look directly at her clothes in fear of going blind.

"We are. Who are you?" asked Belgemine, tilting her head up to face the stranger.

The woman saluted. "Greetings. I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights."

"And I'm Elma," greeted the other woman, cheerfully. She had dark brown hair cut boy short, a dark tan, hazel eyes, and wore a red and brown attire that at least looked a bit more normal than her companion's. "We've been charged to guard the Highroad."

"There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in this area, with a taste for chocobos. Do take care if you are to rent any chocobos," warned Lucil, looking serious.

I nodded to her. "Thanks. We'll be careful."

"Good." Lucil nodded while pulling on the reigns to her chocobo. "We should get back to our rounds. Farewell."

"Our prayers are with you," added Elma before the three knights left.

I stroked my chin as I thought over what the knights had just said. "A large fiend… Let's go get him!"

"Why?" asked Auron.

I gave him a weird look. "Because it's the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do?" repeated Auron before chucking.

"What'd I say now?" I asked with a sigh.

He shook his head, still chuckling. "Jecht. He said that a lot, too. And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me."

I was silent at that. Auron usually didn't mention similarities Jecht and I since he knew I didn't like them. The first time he made a crack about how both Jecht and I had no table manners I threw a plate of food at him, and refused to talk to him for a week. He wised up after that. So I was kind of confused why he would make a comment like that out of the blue.

Finally I decided not to worry about it, and just focus on finishing the stupid walk. I was beginning to get tired.

Further down the road I noticed a covered wagon being led by a chocobo parked on the side of the road. I looked down and saw two familiar guys sitting on the ground leaning back against the cart.

"Hey, I know those guys," I said, cheering up. "That's Luzzu and Gatta; two Crusaders from Besaid."

"Luzzu?" repeated Belgemine, pausing. She looked around and froze when her hazel eyes landed on the two men.

"Belgemine?" I gently shook her shoulder in concern. "What's wrong?"

The summoner blinked a few times and then shook her head. "Oh, sorry; it's nothing. I'm just surprised to see Luzzu again."

"Wait, you know him? How?"

"We met a long time ago. But I haven't seen him in years," she said softly.

"Soooo isn't seeing him now a good thing?" I asked.

"Depends on your definition of good," muttered Auron.

I looked at him curiously while Belgemine just stayed quiet.

"Let's go. We're wasting time standing here," Auron finally ordered, walking off.

I didn't get what was going but I followed him anyway. After a few seconds Belgemine followed too, and soon we were passing by the two Crusaders.

Gatta looked up at our approach then narrowed his eyes and studied me closely. Then they widened and he broke out into a smile.

"Hey, I know you! You're that summoner who came to Besaid a week ago and got the Aurochs to work harder!" Gatta crowed. He shook Luzzu on the arm and pointed at me with his other hand. "Luzzu, look! It's him, it's him!"

"I can see that, Gatta." Luzzu gave his excited friend a patient look before turning to face us. Of course, once he saw us (or more specifically, Belgemine) he lost that patient look, and assumed the expression of a guy whose girlfriend just walked in on him having sex with his ex.

"Be-Belgemine!" he stuttered, standing up.

Belgemine gave him a shaky smile. "Hello, Luzzu. It's been a while."

"Y-Yes it has," agreed Luzzu. He paused and licked his lips before continuing, "You look good."

"Thank you. You do as well," said Belgemine.

Awkward silence.

"Have you gone on your pilgrimage yet?" asked Luzzu, looking like he was scrambling for words to say.

"Yes, I started it but I… could not complete it," Belgemine said softly.

Luzzu looked relieved and a bit guilty to hear that. I had no clue why.

Another bout of awkward silence.

Gatta finally broke it by standing up beside his friend. "We should be going, sir. They're probably waiting for us."

"Of course," Luzzu said to him before looking back at Belgemine, and his eyes seemed to soften slightly. "It was good seeing you again, Belgemine. Please, take care."

"I will only if you promise to do the same," Belgemine said softly.

Luzzu nodded. "I promise."

After that Luzzu and Gatta hurried down the road with the wagon. After watching them leave I turned to confront my teacher. "What was that about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Auron mumbled, glancing at Belgemine.

"Not to me," I grumbled.

"They were lovers," he explained, sighing. This one translated into 'can't you be stupid later?'

I ignored him in favor of gawking at Belgemine, who still hadn't looked away from the direction that the Crusaders had gone off in. "Wait, you guys had a _thing_? What happened?"

"Life happened, boyo," Belgemine sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We each had plans for the future that led down different paths. He joined the Crusaders and I became a summoner."

I still wasn't following her line of reasoning. "So? Don't they both fight Sin? Couldn't you fight it together?"

"The Crusaders protect the people from Sin; the summoners die fighting Sin," Auron clarified flatly. "Do you get it now?"

Mutely, I nodded. Belgemine and Luzzu had broken up because she was going to go up against Sin, and he had gone off to protect people from Sin. Either way, one of them was bound to die.

Was there nothing in this world that Sin didn't ruin?

In silence we continued on our journey. More fiends were killed, more people were passed, and I grew more and more tired. I was kind of disgusted with myself that I was so easily tired by a simple walk. What happened to my iron will and endurance that got me a spot on the Zanarkand Abes? Yeesh.

I think it was right before we got to Rin's Travel Agency that we ran into Shelinda. She was quarreling with a Crusader and losing. We caught it just at the end.

"We'll defeat Sin any way we can!" argued the man, glaring down at my petite friend.

Shelinda flinched but didn't back down. "But Yevon's teachings say…"

"Enough!" the Crusader yelled before storming off.

Shelinda looked ready to cry. "I-I only meant to…"

I decided that was my cue to step in.

"Shelinda!" I called, marching over to her.

The timid brunette looked up at me and immediately brightened up. "T-Tidus!"

"Long time no see," I greeted, stopping in front of her with Auron and Belgemine. "How've you been?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she answered, wringing her hands and giving me a wobbly smile. "How are you?"

"Same old, same old," I said dismissively. "I saw you arguing with that Crusader. Are you all right?"

Shelinda's fragile smile crumbled. "No. I heard that the Crusaders are going to use forbidden machina in some operation against Sin. So I tried to stop them, but… but they won't even listen to me. And it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte!"

At the end of her speech Shelinda actually had a few tears dripping down her cheeks. I felt bad and a bit angry at the jerks that made her cry, but the biggest thing I felt was awkward. I was never very good at handling crying people, especially girls.

Helpless, I looked to Belgemine since she was a woman and would probably know what to do. Flashing me an exasperated look, she walked forward and pulled the girl into a hug.

"There, there, child. No need to cry. I'm sure being an acolyte isn't the reason they ignored you," cooed Belgemine, patting her on the back.

Shelinda sniffed and pulled back to rub her eyes. "T-Thank you, Lady Summoner, for your k-kind words. But I'm sure that if I was a more important person than the Crusaders would have at least stopped to listen to me."

"I doubt that they care what ranking you hold. If they're determined to go along with this fool's plan then they're going to do it regardless of what anyone says," pointed out Auron.

"But it's not about defeating Sin! The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!" she argued, sniffling.

"Well maybe you can still talk some sense into them," I said, trying to cheer her up. "When does this operation start?"

"Tomorrow at noon."

"Okay, then tomorrow go down to where they're holding this operation-gig and tell them that what they're doing is against the teachings, or whatever," I told her, giving her a big, one hundred watt smile. "I'm sure if you remind them that summoners are the only ones who have ever beaten Sin then they'll reconsider their plan. You can't give up so easily, Shelinda."

Shelinda sniffled a little before giving me a small but strong smile. "O-Okay. I'll try that. Thank you, Tidus. You've been a big help."

She left after that, saying that she was going on to see if she could talk whatever Crusaders were still around out of their 'sacrilegious actions.' We continued on and finally came to a building built next to a large field with a pen of chocobos.

"This is Rin's Travel Agency," Belgemine told me as we walked up to the shop. "You'll probably see a lot of them around Spira. They're quite convenient when you're on the road."

"And we're going to stop and rest here for the night, right?" I asked hopefully. "I'm really tired."

"We'll be resting here," agreed Auron, not bothering to look at me as he marched up to the agency.

Belgemine and I quickly followed.

Rin's Travel Agency was a nice place with friendly people and reasonable prices. We all got our own rooms, which was nice since I had been sharing one with Belgemine for nearly two weeks now. Once I got my key I bid my two guardians a goodnight and went straight to my room.

I was out the moment my head hit the pillow.

* * *

_I was dreaming about the_ _pretend Zanarkand again. This time I was in a park that I used to play in as a child. It was eerie being there since the place had been torn down years ago so a supermall could take its place. I gazed around the frozen playground equipment and felt a chill run down my spine._

"**Congratulations. You've obtained three of the eight aeons required to defeat Sin. You are well on your way of completing your mission. You should feel proud of yourself."**

_I turned to my left and found the boy standing in front of a set of swings. "Really? Funny, I don't feel too proud. I'm actually pretty confused about this 'mission' you've given me."_

"**What is there to be confused about? You obtain the aeons, travel to Zanarkand, and then defeat Sin."**

"_Yeah, but what about the whole dying part? The only way to stop Sin is if I get the Final Aeon, and to be honest, I'm not really willing to die to accomplish that," I told him frankly. The boy let out a giggle._

"**Who says you need to die to beat Sin?"**

_I stared at him in surprise. "What? You mean there's another way?"_

**"That is for you to find out. Continue on and you will uncover the answer."**

* * *

My eyes snapped opened to face a pale blue ceiling. It took me a few seconds before I remembered where I was. When I did I relaxed and closed my eyes again.

Another dream with the little boy in purple. Only this time the dream was useful rather than puzzling. I had to wonder about the info I just got though. If there was another way to defeat Sin, then why hadn't it been done already? Why didn't the fayth just tell the summoners in Spira about it instead of dragging me in to it?

"The fayth are incompetent_,_" I declared out loud with a groan.

**Hey, that's not true! We're not all like Bahamut!** protested Valefor, startling me. I hadn't felt her presence.

**That's right; that kid likes to talk in riddles. Me, I prefer to be blunt and honest with my words,** added Ifrit, making me blink. And where the hell had _he_ come from?

**Watch your tongue, Ifrit. Bahamut is older and wiser than all of us regardless of his appearance. The way he speaks is simply proof of that,** reprimand Anima, also seeming to pop up out of nowhere.

**What, are you his protector now, Anima? Why the hell are you defending the runt? Got a crush on our little dragon? Little boys make you hot and heavy?** Ifrit leered.

If I had any food in my stomach at that moment, then I'm sure it would've been turning in disgust.

**Eww! Ifrit don't say stuff like that!** Valefor whined, sounding as disgusted as I felt.

**Say something as lewd and revolting as that again and I swear I will show you exactly **_**why**_** my aeon is stronger than yours,** Anima threatened frigidly.

**Aww, did I offend the pretty lady?** Ifrit sneered.** Or maybe I hit a soft spot?**

I could feel Anima swell in anger, and knew that was my cue to step in.

_Where the hell did you all come from? _I demanded, cutting into their argument.

I felt all three fayth turn their attention towards me.

**What do you mean where did we come from? We've been here all night,** said Valefor.

_Then why didn't I feel you three until you spoke up?_

**Because you're a moron?** offered Ifrit.

**Because you were distracted by your dream,** interrupted Anima. **Bahamut has finally told you that there is another way to defeat Sin, but you must find it on your own. I'm afraid we can't help you until then.**

_Why? Why can't you guys help me? Why can't you guys tell me anything? Why are the fayth so unhelpful?_ I yelled, growing irritated. I was seriously getting sick of the whole figure-it-out-on-your-own-and-then-we'll-help bullshit the fayth kept giving me.

**It's because of the bonds that tie our soul to our statue, and give us the power to create aeons. The magic restricts us from speaking about certain things. Mainly Sin and its origins,** explained Valefor. **Please believe us when we say it's as frustrating for us not being able to tell you as it for you not knowing, Tidus.**

My irritation evaporated after that. The fayth were trying their best to help me but I guess that even they had rules to follow. I kind of felt better knowing that. At least now I knew they weren't being vague just to fuck with me.

_I believe you, Valefor. I'm glad you explained that to me. It's a relief to know you guys aren't intentionally hiding things from me._

**Please, boy. Why would we hide things from you? You're not that interesting,** droned Ifrit.

_Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you,_ I said sweetly, making Valefor and Anima laugh.

Ifrit growled something in return that I didn't catch before fading away with Anima and Valefor following him soon after. As soon as they were gone I sat up in my bed, and crawled out and left my room. I knew I wasn't going to be falling back to sleep anytime soon; I was too wide awake now after my little talk with my fayth friends. The best thing I could do was get some fresh air and maybe take a walk before going back and trying to fall back asleep.

The lobby of the agency was empty when I got there with only a shallow light on in the corner for company. I went to the front door and found it unlocked, and so I opened it and went outside only to discover that I wasn't alone.

Auron was outside leaning on a pillar beside the road, staring up at the sky. He looked at me as the door closed softly behind me.

"Had a good sleep?" he asked.

I shrugged and walked over to him. "Good enough. At least now I don't feel like I'm gonna fall with every step I take."

"Hmm." Auron looked back up at the sky, and I followed his gaze. The sky was dark and clear of clouds with a bright half moon and a billion blinking stars. It was a nice sight.

"The sky looks the same here," I said quietly.

"Did you expect it to be different?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I guess not. It's just… I thought it would _feel_ different here than it did back in Zanarkand. But it's not."

Auron was silent.

"Where were you these past two weeks?" I asked. It had been a question on my mind since we finally met up again.

"Making my way to Luca. I knew you would be there for the tournament." He looked down at me with a smirk. "You're very predictable."

I turned away from the sky to stick my tongue out at him. "So are you. I knew you would come to Luca looking for me; that's why I waited instead of going on with Belgemine."

"How kind of you," he replied in a dry tone, but I could detect a hint of warmth in his voice.

"Yeah, I know," I teased, giving him a smirk.

A comfortable silence set between us. Auron was always easy for me to be around because I didn't feel pressured to always talk to fill the silence. We could both just sit there for hours with no words between us and feel completely at ease. I can't say I met a lot of people I could do that with.

"Hey, if I hadn't been at Luca at the tournament what would have you done?" I asked, looking out at the sea where the night sky was reflected. The water was so still that I swore I couldn't tell where the sea began and the sky ended.

"What do you mean?" Auron asked though I'm pretty sure he knew what I meant.

I decided to humor him though and explained my question. "I mean, would you have kept looking for me when you realized I wasn't there?"

"Probably. Why?"

I shook my head, trying my best to appear innocent. "No reason. Just curious."

He snorted. That was his 'right, and fish can actually fly too, huh?' snort. Obviously it meant he didn't believe me.

I just kept smiling at him innocently.

There was another brief moment of silence between us that was broken again only this time by Auron.

"What would you have done… if I hadn't showed up in Luca?" he asked lowly.

"I don't know. Probably would have just kept waiting I guess," I answered without much thought. "I know you'll always find me, Auron. No matter where I might be."

He stared me with a hidden expression. "You… trust me that much?" he asked slowly.

I nodded, staring straight back at him with an open look. "Yeah, I do. I always have… and I probably always will."

Auron stared at me for another few seconds before turning away with a pinched expression on his face. "You should go back to bed. We'll be leaving early in the morning, and we both know how you get when you're tired."

I laughed at his unsubtle jab at my cranky asshole routine I pull when I'm tired. It was never a pretty sight.

"Fine, fine I'll go. But make sure you go to bed soon too, okay? I don't want to have to protect a tired old man who was too stubborn to go to bed like the rest of us."

"Indeed. It would probably be as bad as protecting little summoners who are too cocky to listen to when their elders advise them," he shot back.

"Are you saying I'm arrogant?" I demanded, annoyed. I was not a cocky peacock like Jecht, damnit!

"Go to bed, Tidus," he ordered in his 'I have an unused sword that I'm not afraid to test on you' voice.

"I'm going, I'm going," I told him, and made a swift retreat after that just in case he decided to carry out his threat. As I neared the front door though, I felt like I should say something to him; something to let him know how happy and relieved I was that he was finally here with me again.

"Auron," I started quietly, staring down at my hand on the doorknob. "I'm glad you're here. I… I missed you."

Auron made no sign to show that he had heard me. After five seconds I finally opened the door and went inside. Right before the door closed behind me he finally spoke up.

"I missed you too, brat."

I went back to bed with a smile that night.

* * *

Belgemine woke me up at dawn the next morning with a plate of breakfast, and an order to take a bath because I smelt worse than a 'dying shoopuf on a hot summer day.' I didn't argue with her because I knew it was true. I really did stink.

After I bathed and ate I went down to the lobby to find Auron up and waiting for me. He nodded at me as I bounced over to him.

"Good morning!" I greeted brightly.

Auron grunted. Translation: why are you so damn perky?

"I just had breakfast," I explained, knowing he would get it. We both knew that food always cheered me up.

He snorted, and shook his head. Translation: I should have known.

I just beamed.

"Where's Belgemine?" I asked when I noticed our female companion wasn't around.

"Outside bargaining with the chocobo attendant over a lower price," answered Auron, actually using words this time.

"Chocobos? We're going to be riding chocobos?" I questioned excitedly. I hadn't ridden one yet but I really wanted to. It seemed like a fun idea. It was probably like riding a giant chicken or something.

"Unfortunately," Auron muttered, but I ignored him and made my over to the front door. I started to go outside only to bump into a man that was coming in.

"Byntuh sa," he exclaimed, bowing to me. He was the same height as me with dark brown skin and bright blond hair. He wore relatively normal pants, brown boots, an open jacket that revealed his bare chest, and a pair of goggles pushed onto his forehead. For some reason, he looked very familiar to me.

"Um, sorry?" I said having no clue what he had just said.

"Ah, forgive me, sir. I meant to say 'pardon me,' but it came out in Al Bhed," explained the man, smiling slightly.

"Oh, you're an Al Bhed?" At least that explained the familiarity.

The man nodded. "Mm-hm. I am Rin, owner of this establishment. Du saad oui."

I stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"It means, 'nice to meet you' in Al Bhed," Rin explained.

"Ah! Well helly doo sad wee to you, too," I said, trying my best to get the pronunciation right. I don't think I did a good job though because I could hear Auron trying to muffle his laugh with a cough in the background. I flipped him off behind my back.

Rin at least gave me an amused and considering smile. "If you are interested… Al Bhed primers can be found all over Spira. Finding them and learning our language might be fun. Here, let me give you one in commemoration of our meeting. Although you might want to be careful where you speak our language."

"Yeah, I hear the Al Bhed aren't liked much," I commented as I took the small brown and yellow book from the man. "I don't get why. You guys seem pretty cool to me. I mean, I was kidnapped twice by two different groups of Al Bhed before, but I think it was a lack of communication between us if anything."

Rin gave me a grateful look. "You are very kind."

"Someone, help! The chocobos!" a woman screamed from outside, catching all of our attention.

"That's our cue, let's go," Auron ordered, already walking to the front door.

I scrambled after him as Rin yelled a warning to us from behind. "It is a ferocious beast! Be prepared!"

And he was right. The fiend we faced was the very one Lucil had warned us about yesterday: the Chocobo Eater. It was a nasty little beastie with unnatural long arms and legs, huge clawed hands, powerful shoulders, and a huge mouth with a lower jaw that was split in the middle.

It screamed into the air; holding a chocobo in its hand while the rest scattered in terror. It jumped off the building and landed in the field in front of us. The chocobo it was holding flapped and kicked and managed to free itself from the beast before taking off after its friends.

The fiend—pissed that it had lost its breakfast—turned to us and roared. I guess we had just become its new targets.

"Eww." I grimaced in disgust at the sight of its two purple tongues and yellow teeth covered in saliva. "I think it's hungry."

"Too bad. I don't feel like becoming some fiend's morning snack," said Belgemine, already raising a hand to cast Holy.

"Funny, I feel the same," quipped Auron, sword out and set.

I was the only one who didn't feel as confident going against the Chocobo Eater. My magic was based around healing, and I had lost the sword Auron had given me when we were sucked up by Sin. The only real weapon I had against it was my aeons.

But what aeon was I supposed to summon?

By now Auron and Belgemine had already began to attack the beastie. Belgemine would zap it with her spell and send it sprawling onto its back. Then Auron would attack with his sword until it staggered to its feet. Between the two of them they were slowly pushing it back towards the edge of the cliff.

I felt like the odd man out standing there. I wanted to help but I felt like I wasn't needed. My guardians were doing fine without me. Maybe I was better off on the sidelines?

As I was musing on my importance in battle, Belgemine seemed to notice my hesitance (or at least my absence) and paused to call out to me, "Tidus summon Ifrit!"

"Huh? Oh, right!" I was knocked out of my thoughts and back into the battle by my teacher's words. Concentrating, I reached for Ifrit's power inside of me and pulled it out. There was the familiar ground shaking and roaring as Ifrit appeared.

"Ifrit, help us fight that fiend!" I called to him, pointing to the Chocobo Eater.

Ifrit narrowed his amber eyes on the beast and pulled his lips back in a snarl. With a giant leap he landed in front of it, and began to grapple with it. Strength wise the two seemed evenly matched though the fiend seemed to have an advantage with its huge curved hands. However, Ifrit also had his flames that the beast seemed to be very vulnerable to. In a matter of minutes Ifrit soon had the upper hand, and it wasn't long before the Chocobo Eater finally collapsed.

"Wow. Good job, Ifrit. Thanks for the help," I said to my aeon, walking over to him to pat him on the shoulder.

Ifrit growled in return before retreating. I felt his power settle back in me, and smiled at the warm sensation it brought.

Now I think I should point out here that I mentioned the Chocobo Eater only collapsed; it hadn't dissolved yet into little pyreflies like it was supposed to when it died. Of course I didn't think about this at the time. I thought that since it was down it was dead. Boy was I wrong.

Belgemine noticed it first; its hand twitching before finally moving. She only time to scream out, "Tidus!" before the fiend hit me in the stomach. I was lifted into the air by the force of the impact and sent flying over the edge of the cliff.

I didn't even see Auron move. One moment I was flying down into the unknown, and then suddenly he was there wrapping his arms around me and pulling me as close as possible as we both hit the hard ground with a roll.

"Owww," I hissed and opened my eyes to find myself lying on top of my guardian. When I realized what had happened, I quickly sat up and got off of him.

"Shit, Auron, are you okay?" I asked in concern.

Auron grunted and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm okay," I answered, struggling to my feet.

"Hey! Are you two still alive?" Belgemine yelled from up above us.

I looked up and saw her leaning over the edge of the cliff staring down at us, waving. I waved back to her while cupping my other hand around my mouth. "We're okay!"

Belgemine looked relieved. "Good! I'll meet you two at the end of the roads then!"

"Okay!" I yelled back, waving goodbye as she disappeared from sight.

I turned back to Auron to find him sitting up rubbing his left bicep. A large purple bruise was already forming on the bronzed flesh.

"Why did you jump after me like that?" I demanded, growing angry.

Auron gave me a flat look over the rim of his glasses. It was his 'are you kidding me?' look. "I'm a guardian. That means it's my job to GUARD you. Get it?"

"All I did was fall over a cliff. I wasn't in any danger. There was no reason for you to get hurt!" I snapped.

"We didn't know how bad the fall would be, and I wasn't going to leave you down here to face the fiends on your own. You're not strong enough yet," he defended, standing up.

I glared at him. I was angry at him for his action, but I was angrier at myself for getting him hurt. I should have stayed away from the fiend until it had evaporated. And now because of me Auron was hurt.

"Let me heal you," I demanded, reaching out for his arm.

He sighed but didn't protest as I cured the bruise. As the ugly discoloration disappeared, I felt some of my rage leave too.

"Where else does it hurt?" I asked once his bicep was fine.

Wordlessly, he held out his left wrist and I quickly healed it as well. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Auron took back his arm and clenched and unclenched his hand a few times. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I mumbled, looking away. Most of my anger was settling now and all that was left was the sickening feeling of guilt. "Auron, I'm…"

"Forget it," my guardian ordered, looking around the area we were in. "It wasn't your fault. You're still new to Spira. I can't expect you to know it so well yet."

I didn't say anything. He was right, of course, but that didn't erase the remorse.

"Come on; we need to get going and meet Belgemine at the gate," he ordered, walking off down the road in his usual long strides.

Wordlessly, I could only hurry after him.

* * *

The Oldroad wasn't too different from the Newroad. It was long, twisted and filled with fiends. I think the only major difference between them was that the Newroad was better cared for while the old one was overgrown with plant life.

Not too long after we started our walk we ran into O'aka, who was cursing to himself about his lack of customers.

"Coming down to the Oldroad was a mistake… Ye can't run a business with no customers!" he muttered as we got closer. He looked up at us as we passed by, and brightened when he saw me.

"Why if it isn't the fashion boy! Hello there! What're you doing down here?" he asked me.

"We fell over the edge," I explained. "What about you?"

"Thought I'd get some customers out of the Crusaders, but they're ain't none here," he complained, waving his arms around to emphasis his point. Then he got a plotting gleam in his eyes as he took in me and Auron. "Say you two wouldn't happen to be in need of anything?"

I looked to my companion who shook his head. I shrugged helplessly to O'aka. "Sorry, man."

"Figures," he mumbled, and then walked off.

After O'aka we came across Captain Lucil, who was training some chocobos in a field next to the road.

"What are you doing on this road?" she asked when she saw us.

I laughed nervously. "Oh, you know…"

Lucil raised an eyebrow speculatively. "I see. Well the Highroad ends over there." Here she paused to point over to a bend not too far from us. "However, we have sealed off the area beyond for the duration of our operation here. You may ask the gate captain up ahead if you need to pass through, but I'm not sure if he'll let you go on until the operation is done."

After that we bid her thanks and farewell—or rather I did, while Auron just sort of stood there apathetically—and carried on. Just as the captain had said, the end of the road came a little after the bend. When we got there I could see to the far left another road that I guessed was the Newroad, and in front of us a large gate with a group of people. Off to the sides were cages, Crusaders, and a few chocobos.

When we got closer I realized that one of the Crusaders standing in front of the gate was arguing with a woman who was making quite a spectacle.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a _summoner_!" the woman snarled, stomping her booted foot.

"Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions," said the Crusader, firmly.

"You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?" the woman hissed dangerously.

"Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!" the Crusader repeated, unaffected by her snake act.

"Useless!" the woman spat, spinning around and walking towards us.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I saw her properly. She was darkly tanned with equally dark hair and eyes, and had a curvy, full body. She wore black fishnet stockings, a black bikini bottom, and a weird white sleeveless jacket that was open in the front and laced up in small parts. It was very revealing; it barely covered the front of her breasts. Oh, and did I mention she had no shirt on underneath?

_I think that Yunalesca chick might have some competition for her title as most Scantily Dressed Woman in Spira,_ I thought, smirking.

The woman sneered when she saw me smirking at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Just wondering how long it took you to save up for an outfit that covers so little," I commented, smiling at her brightly.

The woman bristled. "That's rich coming from a little boy in rags. What are you, fifteen? Why don't you go home to your mommy and let the _real_ summoners handle Sin."

"Real summoners? Where? All I see is a prostitute and her pimp," I said, making a show of looking around before turning back to her and the muscular man standing at her shoulder.

The woman's jaw dropped while the man behind her tensed up. About five seconds later a hand smacked me lightly on the back of the head.

"Watch your mouth," Auron ordered, coming to stand beside me.

I rubbed the back of my head while giving him a wounded look. "But, Auron, she started it!"

"Stop whining," Auron ordered again, ignoring my defense.

The big guy standing behind the woman suddenly walked forward to stand in front of Auron. We all looked at him as he stared at my guardian intently.

"What is it, Barthello? You know this riffraff?" the woman sniffed.

"You are… Auron, no?" asked the man, Barthello.

Auron cocked his head to the side inquiringly. "What of it?"

"Can… I shake your hand? Auron—no, _Sir _Auron. You're the reason I became a guardian!" Barthello stuttered, looking ready to piss himself in excitement.

Auron chuckled and offered his hand. "Sure."

Barthello eagerly took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Thank you, sir! This means so much to me!"

"Oh boy," I muttered, sharing a look with the woman. This was getting a bit embarrassing.

"Barthello, enough! Get back here!" the prostitute snapped, rubbing her forehead. She looked me up and down a few times with narrowed eyes before inquiring, "So you got a name, rag boy? You must be pretty important to have Sir Auron as a guardian."

I snorted. "Hardly. I'm Tidus, and the only reason I have _Sir_ Auron as a guardian is because he was friends with my old man, Jecht."

The scantily clad babe's dark eyes glimmered in obvious interest. "Sir Jecht's son? How interesting. Well, Tidus, I am Donna and this is my guardian, Barthello. We were on our way to Djose Temple but as you can see, they aren't letting anyone pass. But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see. In the meantime, I think I'll have a nap. Come, Barthello."

"I swear, I'll never wash this hand again!" Barthello declared, staring at his hand in awe as he followed his summoner.

Dona gave him a disgusted look over her shoulder. "Please! Touch me with that hand and I'll remove it!

"I met Sir Auron! THE Sir Auron!" Barthello continued to mutter to himself as they both left.

I watched them go before looking at Auron. "Well THAT was interesting. I guess not all summoners are like Belgemine and Yuna."

"Did you expect them to be?" asked Auron.

I shrugged. "I guess. All the summoners I've met have been all calm and elegant like those priestesses you see in the old movies. Donna was the first bitchy summoner I've met."

"Summoners are people too regardless of what the Church says. Remember that," he advised before looking beyond my shoulder. "Look, there's Belgemine. And it looks like she's brought friends."

I twisted around to find my second guardian coming down the trail with four familiar people trailing behind her. It was Yuna, Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri.

"Hey!" I called, waving my arms in the air and jumping up and down.

"Stop it. Now. You're embarrassing yourself," ordered Auron, sounding annoyed.

I ignored him. I knew I was making an idiot of myself, but to be honest, I really didn't care. I was just too happy to see my friends again.

"I see you both made it," greeted Belgemine as the group (finally!) got to us.

"Yup. And I see you found some new friends," I said, beaming. "Hey, guys. Long time no see."

"Yeah, it's been what, a day?" joked Wakka, giving me a high-five. "So, how you been?"

"Same old, same old. Saw your victory yesterday. How does it feel to finally win a match?" I asked.

"Ahh, it's nice. It felt good being able to end my blitzball career with a bang," admitted Wakka. "Now I can just focus on being a guardian without any regrets, yea?"

"Good call," I agreed before turning my eyes to the petite brunette hiding behind Wakka's looming form. "Hi, Yuna. Sorry about ditching you and Kimahri yesterday, but I had to get away from the fans. They were beginning to scare me."

"It's all right," assured Yuna, not looking at me. Her mismatched eyes were locked on Auron's form behind me. "Um, Tidus, is that…"

"Oh, right. Auron! Come say hi to Yuna and her guardians," I called without looking.

Silently, Auron walked past me to stand in front of Yuna. He towered over her small form greatly. She actually had to crane her head up just to look him in the eye.

"Yuna. It's been awhile. It's good to see you doing well," Auron said sincerely.

"It is good to see you too, Sir Auron," Yuna returned, smiling at him brightly.

Auron's lips twitched into a barely noticeable smile. I stared, a bit surprised by the action. Auron rarely smiled a genuine smile like the one he had on now; especially to someone he just talked to five seconds ago. It actually made me kind of jealous of Yuna. It had taken me six months and a lot of bruises to get that smile out of him. But Yuna just says hello and he immediately smiles for her.

_Why wouldn't he smile at her? __**She's**__ not an annoying little wimp who gets him hurt by being stupid,_ Jecht advised me maliciously.

_Shut up. He's probably just happy to see the daughter of his old friend is alive and healthy,_ I snapped back, spinning around and walking over to the gate. I wanted to see if we could get by or if we would have to wait like Donna. I was kind of hoping for the later because then I would have time to talk to my friends again. We didn't really get much of a chance the last time.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you pass," apologized the gate captain as soon as I got close to him. "You're a summoner, right? Sorry for the inconvenience."

I shrugged uncaringly. "Don't worry about it. It's not a big problem."

The captain looked relieved. He was probably happy that he wasn't going to have to deal with another tantrum from a stuck-up summoner (aka: Donna). "Thank you for your cooperation. I appreciate it."

I shrugged again. "It's fine. So tell me about this operation you guys are putting on."

The Crusader looked faintly surprised. "What, they didn't tell you? We're bringing sinspawn from all over Spira here. Sinspawn inevitably draw Sin, right? So we're going to lure it into a trap! This mission, Operation Mi'ihen, is a Crusader – Al Bhed joint mission. We Crusaders lure Sin in, and the Al Bhed strike it down. You see, Al Bhed hate Sin as much as we do. They managed to salvage ancient machina. They say they're as powerful as the mighty aeons."

I nodded, pretending to look interested. "Really? Impressive."

The man nodded in agreement. "And, well, you know machina are forbidden by Yevon. Ah… on second thought, let's not go there. Better for you not to know. The Crusaders in Operation Mi'ihen have all been excommunicated. My own family won't even speak to me now. We have to beat Sin today. Otherwise, there's nowhere for us to go."

"I'm sure you guys will do great," I encouraged, trying to cheer him up. I didn't want to see anyone sad because of Sin (_Jecht?_) again.

The gate captain gave me a grateful look. "Thank you for your support. It's good to know not everyone has abandoned us. Ah! Here comes Maester Seymour. He's also been a big support to our cause."

_Oh no._

With a heavy heart, I turned around and found Seymour approaching us with his Guado guards. Yuna and the others stopped talking to kneel and offer Yevon prayers as he passed by. Seymour, standing, returned them before righting and stalking up to me.

"So we meet again," he greeted, smiling his fake smile as usual.

"Yeah. Imagine that," I said dully. I was not in the mood to deal with this clown. "Is there something you wanted?"

Seymour's smile wavered for half a second before turning strong again. "You look troubled. Is there anything I can do?"

"Well…" I turned back towards the gate.

Seymour nodded in understanding. "I see."

The gate captain saluted when the Guado walked up to him with his many guards. "Maester Seymour. Let me show you to the command center."

"Hold. I have a request," said Seymour, holding up a hand.

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"I need to have this summoner and his guardians allowed through to the command center," ordered Seymour.

The gate captain and I stared at him in shock. "But… But, Maester Seymour, sir—"

"Do not worry. I will take full responsibility," assured Seymour, smiling his fake smile.

The gate captain weakened before giving in. "Very well. They may pass."

Seymour turned back to me with a smug air. "It is done."

"Um, thanks," I said awkwardly. I was actually surprised by his kind action, but also pretty suspicious. Why would someone so important invite me of all people into the center of a big military operation? Something was wrong here.

Seymour bowed his head. "It was no problem. Please, bring your guardians and companions with you and come see me at the command center. I believe we have much to talk about."

"Yeah, I guess we do," I agreed as he walked away. I watched him walk away until he was nearly out of sight before turning around and making my way over to my friends determinedly.

I think it was time to see for myself exactly what this Operation Mi'ihen was all about.


	8. Part II: Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** II**:** C**hapter** T**wo

* * *

Past the gate was the start of Mushroom Rock Road, which was where Operation Mi'ihen was being held at. As its name implies, Mushroom Rock Road was mostly rocks on top of rocks on top of rocks. The ground was a mixture of dirt and sand, and in the distance I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the beach.

We got to the start of the road just in time to see all the Crusaders assembled stop and salute Seymour.

"All hail, Maester Seymour!" cried the gate captain, leading the saluting.

Seymour smiled at them all generously as if he was deeply honored by their respect for him. "Brave Crusaders of Spira, protectors of all Spira. Believe in the path you have chosen, let faith be your strength! I, Seymour Guado, maester of Yevon, will bear witness to your deeds today."

"Sir!" they all yelled and saluted once again.

"What's goin' on? Why's Maester Seymour backing the Crusaders, eh? They're using the Al Bhed's machina! They're violating the teachings!" Wakka muttered angrily. He was seriously rattled about the whole thing.

Yuna tried in vain to console him. "Even going against the teachings they're willing to risk it for the greater good. Wakka, I think Maester Seymour sees that, too."

"Lulu?" Wakka sputtered, looking at the Black mage for help.

Lulu shrugged. "Hmm… I can only speculate."

Wakka smacked his palm against his forehead.

"Why don't you ask him yourself," advised Auron, making us all look over to where he was staring.

Seymour—finally done with his inspirational speech—was striding over to us. His eyes danced over us all, lingering on Yuna, Auron and then finally me. I resisted the urge to take cover when he spotted me.

"I'm so pleased you're all here," he said charmingly though when he said that he was only looking at me. He paused at Yuna and glanced at her from the side before smiling widely. "Ah, Lady Yuna. Let me say that it is an honor to meet the High Summoner's only daughter."

"Your Grace!" Yuna gasped, bowing nervously.

Seymour waved a dismissive hand. "Please, there's no need for formalities."

"Excuse me… Maester Seymour? Why is your Lordship… presently… present here… sir?" asked Wakka, stepping forward.

Lulu shook her head while I winced. Smooth, Wakka. Real smooth.

Seymour just smiled at him like a patient parent would to a really dumb child. "Please, speak as you normally would."

"Uhhh… isn't this operation against the teachings of Yevon? Aren't you going to stop them?" Wakka questioned nervously.

"It's true… I should," Seymour said slowly, looking thoughtful.

Wakka nodded eagerly. "Mm! Mm!"

Seymour ignored him. "However… both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish peace for Spira. This Operation Mi'ihen was born from that wish they share. Although it may be sacrilege to Yevon, their intentions are pure. And I, Seymour Guado—the person, not the maester of Yevon… As a denizen of Spira, I wish them well in their endeavor."

"But, using machina… that's bad isn't it?" Wakka pressed, still not looking convinced.

Seymour smirked at him roguishly. "Pretend you didn't see them."

Everyone but Auron, Kimahri and I gasped. The first two looked bored and indifferent while I was just amused. Who knew this guy had a sense of humor under all that creepiness?

"Beg your pardon, but that's not something a maester should say!" cried Wakka.

"Then pretend I didn't say it," advised Seymour, still smirking.

Wakka looked ready to have a heart attack. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. "You're kidding!"

Seymour ignored him and walked over to me. "Please, allow me to accompany you to the Command Center, Summoner—"

"Tidus. Just call me Tidus, please. I don't like titles," I interrupted him.

Seymour paused and then said slowly, "Of course… Tidus. Please, follow me."

The Command Center was located up on one of the ridges overlooking the sea. We had to follow a long, bumpy trail to get there with Seymour walking next to me the whole way there. It was a… uncomfortable stroll.

"So tell me, Tidus, where are you from?" Seymour asked casually, nodding to a saluting Crusader we passed by.

"Uhh, Luca. I'm from Luca," I replied, reminding myself not to say Zanarkand.

"And how long have you been a summoner?"

"About two weeks; give or take a few days."

"I see. And was Anima your first aeon?"

I glanced at the Guado at my side suspiciously. "Yeah, she was."

Seymour nodded like he was expecting that answer. "Mmm. You know it's interesting that she would be your first aeon. Her temple is so far from civilization. How did you ever come across it?"

"… Would you believe the fayth told me to go to her?" I asked, smirking at him.

"The fayth?" he repeated, sounding just as skeptic as I thought he would be. "And how did they do that?"

"In my dreams," I replied as we finally arrived at the Command Center. Near the lift up I spotted Luzzu and Gatta standing off to the side arguing. Curious, I wandered away from Seymour and over to the two Crusaders.

"Why only you, sir? I want to fight, too!" I heard Gatta demand, glaring up at Luzzu.

"Order are orders," Luzzu told him firmly, seeming unperturbed by his friend's anger.

"I'm not a cadet anymore, sir! Let me go with you, and I'll prove it to them!" Gatta argued.

Luzzu just looked at him steadily. "Guarding the command center is important too, you know."

"But I came all the way from Besaid to fight Sin, sir!" Gatta whined, beginning to look desperate. I felt bad for him.

"I know, but an order's an order. To your post, Crusader," ordered Luzzu, seriously.

Gatta clenched his fists before saluting. "Yes, sir!" he growled and then dashed off.

Luzzu watched him go before releasing a deep sigh and turning to face me. He gave a lopsided smile. "They let you through, huh?"

"Mmm." I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know, Gatta… he deserves better…"

"At least there's no chance he'll get hurt," Wakka said, joining the conversation. "Why are you guys fighting, anyway? Aren't the almighty Al Bhed machina enough?"

"They still need some time to get them ready. Our job is to keep Sin at bay till they're done," Luzzu explained.

Wakka sneered.

Luzzu paused for a moment and stared at him with an unreadable look in his eyes. Finally he said softly, "Wakka… I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother."

"Luzzu, no!" protested Lulu, stepping forward.

Wakka turned and peered at both of them in puzzlement. "What?

"I'm the one who convinced him… to enlist," Luzzu continued

Wakka shook his head and looked at Lulu, who dropped her eyes. He looked back at Luzzu.

"I'm sorry," the Crusader apologized, looking remorseful.

Wakka glowered at him for a long moment before finally snapping and decked him.

I instantly grabbed him and struggled to hold him back from killing Luzzu before Sin got a chance to. "Wakka! That's enough, Wakka!"

Wakka struggled for a few minutes before finally calming down enough for me to release him. When he was free he stared down hard at Luzzu with shaking shoulders. "When we used to play blitz together, Chappu used to say… he'd say that—when we won the Cup, ya?—he'd propose to Lu. And then one day… he goes off and becomes a Crusader. Just like that!"

"Chappu also said to me," began Luzzu, picking himself up from where he landed on the ground from Wakka's punch, "that being with your girl is good… but keeping Sin far away from her is better."

When he said that I noticed he was looking at Belgemine, who refused to meet his eyes.

"Lu, you knew?" Wakka asked quietly.

With a deep sigh, Lulu nodded. "Luzzu told me… before we left."

Luzzu chuckled. "She hit me too."

Captain Lucil decided to ride by on a chocobo at that moment, interrupting our mini soap opera.

"All Crusaders in the vanguard are to assemble on the beach!" she told Luzzu before riding off to the next Crusader.

"That's my cue." Luzzu dusted his pants off, gave us all a brave smile, and began making his way to the lift down.

"Luzzu! Don't die out there," Wakka called to him.

Luzzu laughed. "So you can hit me more?"

Wakka grinned and patted his fist. "Lots, lots more!"

Luzzu laughed again and continued on towards the lift. As he got closer Belgemine suddenly moved and threw herself in front of him with her arms out. "Luzzu, please don't go!"

Luzzu stared down at the brunette summoner with soft eyes. "I have to, Bel. You know that."

"But if you go… if you fight in that battle…" Belgemine shuddered with repressed emotions.

"Let him go. The man has already chosen his path," advised Auron, stepping forward. "As you did when you became a summoner."

Belgemine physically slumped down, defeated. It was like watching a puppet collapse when its strings are cut. She looked so small and defeated at that moment. So very different from the woman who battled and defeated sinspawn and fiends without a flinch. I hated seeing her like that.

I guess Luzzu couldn't stand to see her that way either. He reached out and pulled her into a hug with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and back tightly, and his face resting against her head. Belgemine was buried against his armored chest with her small hands grasping his clothes desperately.

"Thank you," he whispered to her, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you, Bel. Thank you for everything."

Belgemine nodded as he pulled away. Her eyes were watery but she seemed determined not to cry. "Be safe," she whispered.

Luzzu nodded, gave us all another determined smile, and then walked away.

It would be a long time… before I really ever understood the real reason why Belgemine let Luzzu go that day.

Seymour had gone ahead of us to the Command Center but left behind orders for the Crusaders to point us in the right direction. So we took the lift up to the ridges and walked down the road to where a set of cannons were pointed towards sea.

"Curse these…!" Wakka growled, and then kicked the cannon. He regretted it soon after. "OWW!"

"I don't get it. Why does he hate the Al Bhed and their machina so much?" I whispered to Lulu.

"His little brother, Chappu… he joined the Crusaders and died last year when they fought Sin," Lulu explained softly. "When he left he didn't take the sword Wakka gave him to fight with. He fought with an Al Bhed machina weapon instead."

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Wakka snapped, apparently overhearing us. "I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!"

After Wakka's temper tantrum we continued on to the Command Center. Along the way we watched the final preparations; including the Crusaders herding sinspawn into cages.

"Tch. It won't work anyway," grumbled Wakka, kicking a rock at one of the cages. The sinspawn in it wailed and hissed at him. He quickly took a few steps away.

"Don't say that," scolded Yuna, gently. "It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon… but the Crusaders and the Al Bhed—they're doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever. And that's just what we want too, isn't it?"

Wakka huffed and looked away from Yuna's soulful eyes. "Hmph! All right, all right! But I still think machina are bad news. They're forbidden for a reason!"

We all ignored him.

Right before we got to the Center we came across Gatta playing the guard dog.

"The operation will begin shortly. Please check all your equipment," Gatta told us flatly.

Wakka looked at him in concern. "Um, you all right?

"Of course not!" Gatta snapped. "I came here to fight Sin! But they stick me here!"

"If you want to prove yourself then you first must complete the tasks you are given," Auron advised wisely.

Gatta sagged in disappointment as we all walked passed him. I paused when I heard him mutter to himself, "Just doing what they say? It just won't be enough."

"Guarding the command center is important, too," I told him, trying to cheer him up.

"You'd think the same if you were me," he muttered, clenching his fists.

I sighed and went on. I knew that nothing I said was going to change his mind. I recognized that stubborn-as-a-mule look in his eyes well enough. After all, I had seen it in my own many times before.

When we finally got to the Command Center an older, bald man in white and yellow robes was waiting for us with Seymour and a few Crusaders. When the old man saw us he immediately hurried over to Auron.

"Oh! I'd heard from Seymour, but I didn't know if we'd actually meet. Good to see you, Auron! Ten years, is it?" he said, hugging Auron around the waist. It was kind of funny to watch because he was a lot shorter and less muscular than Auron. My guardian's unresponsive attitude just made it funnier.

"Who is that?" I whispered to Lulu since she was the closes to me.

She gave me an odd look. "That's Wen Kinoc, one of the Four Maesters of Yevon. He leads the warrior monks and also commands the Crusaders."

"Oh, so that's Kinoc. I've never seen him before," I commented mostly for Lulu's benefit so she didn't think I was a complete moron.

A few seconds later Gatta came rushing up to Kinoc, stopped in front of him, and saluted. "All troops ready to move at your command, sir!"

Kinoc returned his greeting with a casual salute. "Good, good. Dismissed."

"Sir!" Gatta saluted again and then took off to return to his post.

Kinoc turned back to Auron. "Tell me, Auron. Where have you been the last ten years?"

"We don't have time for this now, do we?" Auron droned, looking bored.

"This plan won't work, you know that," Kinoc scoffed. "We'll just let them dream a little longer."

I stared at him, shocked. What did he just say? "What?"

"Lord Kinoc…" Seymour growled from behind him.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Proceed," Kinoc said dismissively.

Auron walked over to where I was standing a little bit away, muttering, "That Kinoc, a maester?"

"I heard that, Auron," Kinoc called, looking amused. "A lot has happened the last ten years. What were _you_ doing, and where?"

Auron snorted. "Fulfilling a promise I made to a friend. I still am."

"Just tell me one thing: have you seen Zanarkand?" Kinoc asked.

Auron ignored him.

Yuna, standing next me, leaned over to whisper, "I kinda… think we don't belong here."

I nodded in agreement. "Me too. It's all kind of… out of our league, yeah?"

"Now, now don't say that. You two of all people deserve to be here to witness such an important event," said Seymour, startling us both. Gee, eavesdrop much?

"That reminds me. Who are all these people?" asked Kinoc, looking specifically at me. "I recognize Lady Yuna and her… guardians, but I don't think I've met you."

"He's Tidus, Sir Jecht's son and a summoner," Yuna told him before I could politely tell him to fuck off.

"Really?" Kinoc looked me over in interest. "Then I guess Auron has been with you all this time. Tell me, are you from Zanarkand too?"

I froze. Now how was I supposed to answer _that_?

"Enough." Auron—my hero—moved to stand in front of me, and put me out of the view of Kinoc and Seymour. "Leave him and the past alone, Kinoc."

"I agree. I think it's time that we start this operation," advised Seymour, giving the other maester a look I couldn't read.

Kinoc nodded and moved to the front of the observation platform and raised an arm. There was a shout from below, and then the sinspawn started screeching in high, scratchy voices.

"Will Sin come?" Yuna whispered, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Sin always returns for its spawn. To make sure, we're going to encourage them to call out to it," a Crusader nearby assured.

Auron scoffed. "You won't have to. It'll come."

"_..._ _Sin is Jecht…"_

_Don't,_ I snapped to myself. _Not now. Not here._

Below us the sinspawn began to grow restless, and the screeching grew in volume. I could hear cages rattling, and the Crusaders muttering amongst themselves.

"… _Sin exists only to destroy…"_

_Stop it! Stop thinking about it, damnit!_

The Al Bhed installation nearby was starting up. You could hear and see the power coursing through it. The atmosphere grew thick with tension and anticipation.

"… _Sin is my old man…"_

_No! No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!_

The cages holding the sinspawn suddenly creaked, shuddered, then shattered—

"Look out!" Auron yelled, reaching out to push me down.

—and all hell broke loose.

* * *

Auron was right. Sin did come. Only when it did nothing went as we thought it would.

The Crusaders on the beach were taken out first. They were battling the escaped sinspawn when Sin just belted out a burst of energy that… literally disintegrated everything it touched.

Then it went after the Al Bhed.

They were fighting so hard when Sin just… demolished the entire Al Bhed installation. Shot off a bolt of power that destroyed the support beam and brought the whole thing down.

Dead. Dead, dead, dead. Everyone was dead. Bodies on top of bodies littered Mushroom Rock Road. It was so much worse than seeing Zanarkand get pounded into scraps of rubble. So much worse to know that it might have been _Jecht_ who caused all the ruin and death.

I woke up alone with only the scattered bodies of Crusaders as company. The escaped sinspawn had attacked us right as Sin emerged from the sea. The sudden attack had knocked me off the ledge onto the beach below. I got up slowly; my legs were shaking and my head was pounding. It took me a few minutes just to stand up straight.

When I got my wits back I noticed Gatta. He was behind me on his knees with his head in his hands, shaking.

"G-Gatta?" I asked, stuttering.

"What's… going on?" he said, slowly looking up with wild eyes that looked right through me. "Why? What… what's going on?"

I flinched and turned to face the sea. There, floating calmly, was Sin. I stared at it as it turned around and began to leave. Seeing it leave… something in me snapped. I was suddenly so angry, so pissed at Sin, Spira, the fayth, the aeons, Belgemine, Yuna, Wakka, Shelinda, Kelk, Lulu, Kimahri, and Seymour. I was angry at my old man, my mom, and Auron. But mostly, I was angry at myself.

And like always, that anger focused on one thing.

"Don't you run away from me!" I bellowed, running after it (him?). I pounded through the shallow waters and began swimming when I hit deeper waters.

I have no idea what I was thinking when I ran after Sin that day. But before I knew what I was doing, there I was chasing him down like a thief at the market.

I think I blacked out somewhere along the way. Because the next thing I remember was dreaming a weird dream. I was on the beach and all around me were ghostly Crusaders rushing back and forth, including Luzzu. The little kid from my dreams suddenly came forward and shook his head. Then he was replaced by a spinning blitzball before the scene changed to the upper deck of my old home. Ghostly Crusader forms still darted by now and then.

Now in front of me was Jecht. He stared down at me with a sneer. "What?

"They say you don't practice anymore, that you're gonna retire," I said, not looking him in the eye.

Jecht laughed. "Let them talk. I'm still the best.

"They say you're no good 'cause you drink all the time," I said. I sounded so young. Was this a dream? Or a memory?

"I can quit drinkin' whenever I want!" Jecht retorted, glowering.

"Then do it now," I pleaded.

"What did you say?" Jecht asked in a dangerously soft voice.

"You just said you can!" I backtracked quickly.

Jecht eased up. The danger was gone. "Heh. Tomorrow, maybe."

"Why not today?" I whispered. I felt like I was going to cry.

Jecht laughed again. "Why do today what you can leave for tomorrow?"

I could feel tears trickle down my cheeks.

Jecht noticed and sneered. "There he goes again… crying!"

Then the dream faded away.

I think… I sensed my old man there. Somewhere… maybe in the dream. Maybe in Sin. Or maybe… maybe it was in me.

When I woke up I was on a different part of the beach. Auron was standing near me staring out at the ocean.

"I see you're still here," he commented when I sat up.

I stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Many stories ended here today," he continued, ignoring me. "But yours goes on."

"And? What do I do now?" I asked bitterly, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Auron… Sin… really is Jecht… right?"

"… Yes. Sin is Jecht," he answered after a small pause.

"And I… I have to stop him. I have to… I have to kill him," I said slowly. "But… but how? How can I kill my…"

"He knew you would be here," cut in Auron, finally looking at me. "That's why he came. He came here for you."

I laughed bitterly at that. "So he killed all those people just for a chance to see me?"

"That's what Sin does. He wanted to show that to you. Do you know why?" he pressed.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"So you would kill him. As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wants you to stop him," the older man explained.

I stared at my guardian. Was he being serious? Jecht actually wanted me to kill him? He wanted his only son to murder him? How could he expect me to do that? How could I—

And then I remembered.

"_The oldest of the fayth have decided that Sin must come to a permanent end…"_

Anima's explanation when I first met her.

"_Sin exists only to destroy."_

Belgemine's words after we saw the remains of Kilika.

"_Who says you need to die to beat Sin?"_

The fayth's answer to my problems.

_I want to defeat Sin to go home,_ I thought, closing my eyes. _But…_

Anima's despair.

Belgemine's loss.

Luzzu's decision.

Wakka's anger.

Gatta's tears.

Jecht's request.

"_As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wants __**you**__ to stop him."_

"I'm going to do it. I'm going to stop Sin," I said out loud, opening my eyes to find them blurry. I blinked away the tears. "I'm going to stop… Jecht. I swear it on everyone who died on this beach. I will stop him."

"Now that's a pretty good vow," Auron complimented, holding out a hand to me. "And I promise to help you complete it."

I smiled and took his hand. Effortlessly, he pulled me to my feet, and slowly led me up the beach to where the rest of our friends were standing.

_I'm going to stop you, old man. Not just because I want to go home anymore, but because I know now that I have to. For all the people of Spira who suffered and still suffer, I will destroy Sin._

* * *

As we made our way back to the group we ran into Kinoc, Seymour, and their guards, and Auron just _had_ to stop and chat with his old buddy Kinoc. He was lucky I was still numb from the horror I just witnessed or I would have bitched him _and_ Kinoc out. As it was, I felt like a vegetable, and the only thing keeping me grounded was Auron so I let him do what he wanted.

"A swift retreat. Satisfied?" he asked Kinoc in a biting tone.

Kinoc didn't look at him. "What do you mean?

"Those who turned from Yevon died, while the faithful live on," Auron said, sounding bitter.

The maester smirked. "Hmm. The past ten years have changed you, I see."

Kinoc walked off after that, but Seymour lingered and approached me. I looked up at him dazedly as he stood over me.

"You do not look so well," he said in concern. "But now more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence. Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow, but you must not for you… you are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?"

I nodded, my throat feeling as dry as sand. Seymour had voiced everything I was just realizing. It made me feel bare and vulnerable before him.

Seymour cocked his head to the side, and stared at me with bright, bright violet eyes. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes," I croaked. "I'm terrified of Sin, of the fiends, of the sinspawn… I'm terrified of failing."

"You will not fail," he said firmly. "You are strong. You have to be to get my mother's aeon. That's why I'm confident you can defeat Sin."

I gave him a crooked smile. "Thanks. Its total bullshit but it makes me feel better so I won't call you on it."

Seymour blinked twice and then smiled at me. It was surprising because it wasn't the usual creepy 'I vant to suck your blood!' smile, but actually a pretty normal one. It made me actually want to smile back. So I did. And I think I surprised him too when I did, because I saw uncertainty flash in his eyes before returning to normal again.

"You will see your own strength in time," he finally said. "And… if you must, then please take me as your pillar of strength as Lady Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."

Then he bowed, said, "Until next we meet, farewell," and then left.

I watched him go feeling a bit puzzled. What did Yunalesca and her husband have to do with anything? However I soon forgot about it as my friends all joined me, and together we all started down the road to the temple of Djose; ready to leave the nightmare of Operation Mi'ihen behind us.


	9. Part II: Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** II**:** C**hapter** T**hree

* * *

The journey to Djose temple was a silent one. No one wanted to talk, and even then I doubted we would know what to say. We were all still recovering from the horrible tragedy that was Operation Mi'ihen.

Only Yuna tried to remain cheerful and bright. She smiled and hummed as we walked, and stopped to admire the scenery every now and then. I had to admire her strength to move on and put Operation Mi'ihen behind us. Admired it, and hated it since it was annoying. Couldn't she be a perky pest later?

We came across a few Crusaders who were either wounded or broken. I spotted Shelinda slowly making her way up the road healing and tending to them. I decided not to interrupt her work, and went on.

We got to the temple fairly quickly. It was located down a side road off the main one that led to the Moonflow. There was a short, stone bridge with cracks running across it that was built over a body of water. Once we crossed it we were at the temple.

"Is that the Djose Temple?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. At first I wasn't very impressed with what I saw. It was just a huge rock fortress with a small inn off to the side. That was until the rocks on the temple broke apart and hovered around it while shooting off lightning.

"Awesome!" I crowed, completely awed.

"The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth," Belgemine explained to me, crossing her arms under her chest.

"That means another summoner's already here," Wakka translated

"Another summoner?" questioned Yuna, looking torn between curiosity and unease.

I thought about that for a moment and came up with only one possible name. "It could be Dona."

Yuna blanched. "We have to hurry."

"Right! In we go!" I cheered, and we all headed towards the doors.

My good spirits died quickly. Off to the right of the temple doors we noticed Gatta. He was sitting dejected against the wall, looking close to tears.

Wakka hurried over and crouched down next to him. "Gatta?"

"Luzzu, he's…" the Crusader trailed off, and the tears in his eyes increased. I felt my stomach turn in dread.

"Where is he?" Wakka pressed urgently.

"I found him… but he was… torn in half. I…" Gatta broke off into shoulder shaking sobs.

"That… idiot!" Wakka cursed, looking both angry and anguished.

Next to me, Yuna began to cry quietly. Lulu reached out and wrapped her in a hug while trying to blink away her own tears. I turned to Belgemine and found her face expressionless but her eyes grieving. I felt my heart clench at the sight of their pain.

"What… What do I do now?" sobbed Gatta, rubbing his eyes with dirty fingers. Dried blood and dirt ended up smeared across his face. It made him look younger than he actually was. "He's dead and I… I never got… to tell him… I was sorry…"

"Gatta…" I tried to console him but Belgemine beat me to it. She walked up to him, kneeled down in front of him, and then pulled him into a hug. Gatta didn't resist. He wrapped his arms around her waist and cried into her chest like a little kid.

"He knew. Even if you never said anything, I'm sure he knew you were sorry," soothed Belgemine, running her hand through his hair. "He loved you. That's why he ordered you to stay at the Command Center; he wanted you to live."

Her words only made Gatta cry harder. And even though she seemed composed, I could see a few tears tracing down Belgemine's cheek as she too wept for the man she loved and lost.

* * *

In the end only Auron, Kimahri, Yuna, and I went into the temple. Wakka, Lulu, and Belgemine stayed outside with Gatta. We didn't try to argue with them.

The Djose temple was pretty much the same as the others. When Auron saw the huge statues of the summoners who had defeated Sin, he let out a sardonic snort. "So you're a champion of Yevon now, Braska?"

"What does that mean?" I asked him, but he ignored me. Ahead of us, the door to the fayth opened up and out came a familiar looking summoner and his guardians.

"Hey, I know that guy. He was the one who performed the sending in Kilika after Sin attacked it," I said to Auron.

"Fascinating," he said flatly.

I gave him an irritated look. "Do you always have to be so dry when you talk to me?"

Auron snorted. Translation: what do you think?

"Jerk," I retorted, sticking my tongue out of him.

The unnamed summoner saw us and suddenly made a beeline. He stopped in front of Yuna, and gave her a polite smile. "I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?"

"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid," introduced Yuna, giving a deep Yevon bow.

"As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father," cried the summoner, looking thrilled.

Yuna was momentarily thrown off guard. "My… father? You knew him?"

The man shook his head. "No, I have never met the man. Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru. I am a summoner, like you."

"I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you," chimed in the little boy at his side. He looked around nine or ten with chin-length black hair pulled back in a ponytail, vibrant brown eyes, and was wearing baggy clothes based around the color green.

"And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here," added the man on the other side of Isaaru. His hair was just as dark as Pacce's, his eyes just as blue as Isaaru's, and his face was a mix between the two.

"Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a high summoner like he was," Isaaru nearly gushed. "You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."

Yuna smiled uncertainly. "I… I'm not really… I mean, I've only just become a summoner."

Isaaru smiled wider. "Of course, I've no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?"

Yuna hesitated for a second before nodding. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge."

I was disgusted. Were they seriously making it a competition to see who would get to _die_ first? And why was _I_ the only one disturbed by this?

Isaaru finally tore his eyes away from Yuna to notice the rest of us. When his eyes landed on me, he got a puzzled look on his face. "I'm sorry, but have we met before? You look very familiar to me."

"Not exactly. We saw each other briefly at Kilika after Sin attacked it. You had just finished the sending and was leaving when you saw me," I explained.

Isaaru nodded. "Yes, yes I remember now. I didn't catch your name though…"

"It's Tidus," I introduced, waving. "It's nice to meetcha."

"Likewise," Isaaru beamed.

"Isaaru," Maroda coughed, like he was reminding him of something.

Isaaru nodded to his brother. "Yes, yes. Tidus, I beg your leave. Yuna, good luck to both of us."

Yuna smiled at him. "Yes. Good luck."

We watched them go before turning to face each other.

"Ready to face the fayth and get the aeon?" I asked.

Yuna nodded. "Ready."

"Good." I turned back to the Cloister of Trials. "Let's do this."

With more people we solved the trials pretty quickly, and got to the chamber in record time. Since I was faster, I went into the chamber first to speak to the fayth.

The statue was a man with a tanned, broad back wielding a double bladed weapon. He had white hair that split into four braids, and had a strange white cloth tied across him diagonally.

After I touched the statue I took a step back and waited for the fayth to appear. Two seconds later he came in flash of light; an older man with a kind face that was lightly wrinkled and greatly tanned. He had light, twinkling green eyes that were calm and patient. He wore a green sailor outfit complete with a captain's hat and sword.

"Hello, summoner. I am the fayth of Ixion. I welcome you to my domain," greeted Ixion, smiling.

"Ditto. I'm Tidus, former blitzball player turned-summoner from Zanarkand," I returned, smirking. "I'm here to ask for your aeon so I'll have someone to talk to when I'm bored. Oh, and maybe help out in the battle against Sin."

"I think I might be able to help you with both problems," Ixion answered, holding his hands together to form a ball of bright yellow light. Gently he threw it towards me, and I welcomed it as his power coursed through me. I now had the power of the aeon Ixion.

* * *

After I got Ixion I waited with the others for Yuna to go in. During that wait Donna showed up and threw a bitch fit because Yuna wasn't going fast enough for her taste, only to get shut down when Yuna came out to politely tell her to shut the hell up.

I was so proud of her.

Once we finished that Yuna and Belgemine decided to help heal the wounded Crusaders that had managed to make their way to the temple, and also perform any sendings needed. I decided to help too but I'm disappointed to say I couldn't do much. My magic wasn't as strong as Belgemine, and I didn't have the experience to perform sendings like Yuna. I think I spent four of hours healing before I was dead on my feet, and needed to take a break.

"How do they keep going?" I asked Lulu as we both watched Yuna and Belgemine keep healing and sending without stopping.

"Because they're strong. They have a lot of determination and a lot of endurance," Lulu explained, glancing at me. "Most women do."

I was surprised. "Really? Heh, I never knew that. Most girls I've known are just perky and obnoxious."

Lulu snorted. "That's because you've been around little girls; not women. Didn't you learn the difference from your mother?"

"No. My mom died when I was a kid. And even when she was alive she wasn't the… best example of a woman."

"Oh? And what was wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing big. She just always put my dad before everything else. It was like, every time he was around, I didn't exist. When he was assumed dead, she died shortly after because she felt she had nothing left to live for."

"She sounds selfish," observed Lulu.

"I guess." I let out a huge yawn that I failed to hide from the mage sitting on the ground next to me.

"You must be exhausted from using so much magic today. You should rest," advised Lulu in a gentle tone.

I looked around the room we were in. Every inch of it was covered by a resting, wounded, or dead Crusader. "Where?"

"I'm sure the inn has some room," she pointed out. "Go. Rest. You need it."

I bit my lip and thought about it. I was really tired and I really did want to sleep, but at the same time I wanted to keep helping Yuna and Belgemine. I just felt really bad about sleeping while they kept working.

"I'll go rest," I finally decided, "but only for a little while. Will you come wake me up in, like, an hour?"

Lulu nodded with a small smile.

"Thanks." With great effort, I got to my feet and stumbled out of the room and out of the temple. Outside the sun was just setting off in the distance; creating an amalgamate of colors. I took a moment to admire the scene.

_Wow. That's an impressive sunset,_ I thought, smiling. _Don't you agree, Anima?_

**Yes. Sunsets are always a lovely sight,** agreed Anima, sounding faintly surprised. **How did you know I was here?**

_I felt you lurking in the back of my mind. I figured you waiting for a moment to talk to me,_ I answered.

**Hmm. It seems that you're getting better at sharing your mind with us,** Anima observed.

_I guess,_ I agreed distractedly, looking around for a place to sit down. Finally I decided to sit off to the left side of the temple doors. Once I was comfortable, I turned my attention back to Anima. _Okay, spill. What is it you want to talk about?_

Anima sighed. **Seymour.**

_Of course. What about him?_

**You've met him.** It was not a question.

_Yeah, he's… very creepy. Every time he looks at me I feel like I'm being dissected._

**You are, in his mind. He's studying you and trying to find a way to use you to his advantage. I knew he would do that if he met you. That's why I wanted you to stay away from him.**

_Oh, well sorry about that. I didn't mean to run into him._

**It's okay. I didn't really expect you not to meet him.**

_Mmm. So what do you want me to do now? Should I avoid him?_

**I doubt you would be able to. No, I actually have something else to ask of you. But first I feel I should explain our story in more detail so that you can get a better understanding of him.**

**As you know, Seymour was always viewed as an abomination for being half Guado and half man. It caused such strife among the Guado nation that Jyscal, my husband, was forced to exile us to the island of Baaj for both our own safety, and for peace.**

_Baaj Island? Wasn't that where I got you?_

**Yes; Baaj Temple was originally located on Baaj Island until Sin sunk it. My son and I lived there before it was destroyed for a few years; happy and without the stress we once faced. But then… I got sick. It was a terminal illness and it scared me because I knew I was going to die and leave Seymour alone. I couldn't stand the thought. And that's when I had an idea.**

_The summoner plan, right?_

**Indeed. Seymour always had the potential to be a summoner and I knew that if he brought the Calm to Spira then he would be accepted by the people of Spira. So we traveled to Zanarkand and I became a fayth, but… Seymour couldn't handle it. He refused my aeon and ran away back to Baaj Island. **

For the first time since I met her, I felt a small flicker of anger towards Anima. _Well, shit, what do you expect? You pretty much killed yourself just to give him a chance to die and save a world that hated him. He probably never wanted to be a summoner, right? He probably just wanted you to stay with him for as long as possible._

**Correct. He was too young to shoulder such a burden. And I was too blinded by my own desperation to save my son to truly recognize what he really needed from me.**

Although she tried to hide it, I felt a wave of grief hit me from Anima. It made me feel guilty for snapping at her.

**If I had instead spent my final days with him giving him love, support, and advice instead of death, loneliness, and despair than I'm sure he would've been a better person.**

_Maybe,_ I admitted. _But you don't really know for sure. It's a bit too late to try and change things._

**True,** agreed Anima, **if I could do something to change the past I would. But I can't. That's why I ask for your assistance. Please, Tidus. Free my son from the lies he has deluded himself with. Save him from what I could not.**

I don't know what it was that made me agree. Maybe it was the story of a little boy losing a mother who chose death over him. Maybe it was the sad, guilty, desperate tone Anima had. Or maybe I was just as weak hearted as Auron always said I was. But in the end I gave into her request.

_Okay. I'll save your son, Anima. I promise._

* * *

I fell asleep after my little talk with Anima. When I opened my eyes again it was morning. I found myself leaning against the shoulder of a snoring Wakka with a familiar red cloak over me. I sat up and blinked around, dazed and confused before the memories of last night came back to me.

Nearby, sitting on a barrel, was Lulu. I glared at her when she looked over to me.

"You didn't wake me up," I whined, nearly pouting.

"Sir Auron said not to," Lulu defended calmly. She shrugged a few braids over her shoulder, making her breasts jiggle. I tried not to stare.

"Why'd you listen to him for?" I asked, making sure to stare straight at her face.

Lulu gave me an amused look. I think she knew what I was trying to do. "You're his summoner, not mine."

I scowled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"She means that it's Sir Auron's responsibility to look after ya," answered Wakka, waking up. He let out a huge yawn and rubbed his eyes.

"Man, what a night, yea?"

"It was a hard one," agreed Lulu. "But no matter how dark the night, morning always comes. And our journey begins anew."

"Did Yuna and Belgemine get any sleep?" I asked, wrapping Auron's coat around me tightly. It was surprisingly cold for such a sunny morning.

"I think they went to sleep at dawn. They were up all night healing the wounded, and sending the fallen," Lulu said, looking both sad and proud. "Belgemine was okay, but Yuna… she couldn't even walk to a bed. Kimahri had to carry her."

Wakka groaned while I winced.

"She's pushing herself too hard again. She keeps this up, and she'll wear herself out before we even reach Zanarkand," complained Wakka.

Lulu nodded in agreement. "True, but what can we do? Yuna… giving it her all… that's just the way she is."

We were all quiet after Lulu said that. As petite and delicate as she was, I knew Yuna really was as strong as Lulu said. She just had that sort of air about her; a kind of quiet, unwavering determination. I think that if anyone could defeat Sin, it would probably be her.

_But she's not,_ I thought, steeling myself. _I'll be the one to do that for good. So that she and all other summoners won't have to keep dying._

I looked up at Lulu. "Where are Auron and Belgemine?"

"Lady Belgemine is in the temple and Sir Auron is out by the bridge standing guard," answered Lulu, looking curious. "Why?"

"Because it's time for us to go," I replied, standing up and setting off to find my guardians.

* * *

Belgemine was, surprisingly, awake when I found her. She actually seemed fresh and ready to go. Very different from what I was expecting, but whatever. Auron was his usual silent and grouchy self. When he saw me he held out a hand, silently asking for his coat back. I gave him a pitiful look in return.

"I'm cold. Can't I keep it for a little bit longer?" I whined, trying my best to look pathetic.

"No," he deadpanned.

I let out a dramatic sigh and handed him his coat. I knew he wasn't going to agree but I liked to ask him anyway because I knew it would irritate him. After I rounded up my guardians I went to say goodbye to Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri.

"You're not gonna wait for Yuna to wake up?" asked Wakka, looking disappointed.

I shook my head. "Mm-mm. I have to get to Zanarkand quickly to stop Sin before her and the other summoners so they won't die trying to defeat it. They all—especially Yuna—deserve to live."

The three guardians stared at me in shock.

"You're… You're trying to stop Yuna from getting the Final Aeon… so she won't die," Lulu said slowly, like she was trying to make sense of what I said.

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed cheerfully.

Before I could react, Kimahri stepped forward to engulf me in a hug that lifted me off my feet, and I'm pretty sure bruised three of my ribs. I gasped and tried to pat him on the back to signal I was being suffocated here.

"H-Hey…"

"Kimahri thank you," he growled, squeezing me even tighter. "Save Yuna, you will."

"N-No problem," I wheezed. "Ca-can you put me down n-now? Please?"

Thankfully the Ronso did as I requested, and set me back on my feet. I gulped in some air and tried not to fall flat on my ass.

"Oh, hey! Something I want to give you," Wakka suddenly said, snapping his fingers. He pulled out a blue sword from behind his back and gave it to me.

"Whoa! You're giving this… to me?" I asked, gawking at the blade. It was an impressive crystal blue steel that looked like it had actual water built into it.

Wakka nodded. "Yeah, so use it well!"

"That's the sword you gave Chappu," Lulu said slowly, staring at the sword before turning to stare at Wakka.

The blitzball player shrugged. "Well, he never used it. And 'sides, I think he'd be glad to see his sword being used to fight Sin."

Lulu said nothing.

"Well, watch over Yuna, okay? And tell her I said goodbye," I told them sternly. "But don't tell her the real reason I left. She might get all noble and try and beat me there."

"We'll keep our mouths shut," Lulu promised. "But she will be sad to have missed saying goodbye."

I ignored the sharp stab of guilt I got when she said that. "Yeah, well, I'm sure we'll run into each other again. We _are_ going taking the same route."

Wakka nodded. "True, dat, true dat."

"Lady Belgemine! Are you leaving?"

We all looked to the inn where Gatta came stumbling out. He looked better than he was yesterday. He was cleaner, neater, and the dead look in his eyes had turned into an anguished, bitter one.

"Gatta," Belgemine acknowledged, nodding to him with a small smile. "Yes, I'm leaving now. Tidus has a long journey to complete."

Gatta turned desperate when he heard that. "T-Then can I come with you? I won't be a burden or any trouble, I promise. Just please, let me come with you."

"Why do you want to come with us?" I asked, bewildered. "Don't you want to go back to Besaid?"

"I… I can't. Not knowing I failed… Luzzu," Gatta said, his voice softening at the end. "I need to prove to myself and him that I'm worthy of being a Crusader again. And I think going along and protecting Lady Belgemine… is the best way."

"I see. Well, Gatta, I'm afraid it's not really my decision. It's Tidus," answered the female summoner.

I stared at her in disbelief. "Hey, don't pin this on me!"

"She means it's your choice since you're the summoner she's sworn to protect," Auron explained.

I blinked stupidly. "Oh. Oh, well, in that case I guess he can come. It's not like it will be any trouble."

"R-Really?" Gatta asked before shaking his head. "I-I mean thank you! Thank you very much! I promise I won't let you all down!"

And that's how Gatta joined our group as a sort-of guardian for both Belgemine and me.

After that we finally bid Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri adieu and finally left the temple of Djose. However, we got stuck saying farewell again when we ran into Lucil and her group on the bridge.

"Off so early?" Lucil greeted, giving a Yevon bow. "My Lord and Lady summoner, you both must be exhausted after working so hard last night. Will you two be okay?

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Belgemine assured. "Will you be leaving too?"

Lucil saluted. "Yes, first we cross the Moonflow, and then we head north in search of chocobos to replace those we have lost."

"Once we find chocobos, our Mounted Forces will ride again!" Elma added.

That's when I noticed something off. "Huh? Aren't you missing someone?"

"Captain! Waaaaait for meee!"

We all looked to see the only male member running from temple to us. When he got to us he was clutching his side and panting badly.

Elma rolled her eyes. "What took you so long? We're leaving!"

"You expect me to keep up with a chocobo!" he protested.

Lucil shook her head and then saluted again. "_Anyway_, I wish you all good fortune. Elma! Clasko! Let's go!"

Elma saluted. "Ma'am!"

"Eh! C-Can't I just rest a sec…?" Clasko asked in disbelief.

"No complaints!" Elma shot back.

Then they all ran off with Clasko complaining at the end.

"Soooo… where to next?" I asked once they were out of sight.

"We cross the Moonflow," answered Belgemine.

I nodded and pumped a fist in the air. "Gotcha! Moonflow, baby, here we come!"

* * *

The walk to the Moonflow was a lot more fun than the previous two we had been on. I think it's because this time around I had a sword to use so I could fight the fiends to my heart's content without summoning my aeons. I also think having Gatta along made things more… interesting.

He took his vow to protect Belgemine really seriously. When we encountered our first group of fiends, he stepped forward first while ordering Belgemine to stay back.

"Please allow me to protect you," he said with a straight face.

Belgemine raised an eyebrow but backed away. "As you wish."

I wasn't quite as willing. "Um, Gatta, are you sure about that? You know that there are three of them, right?"

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Gatta assured without looking at me. "Please, stand behind with Lady Belgemine. I will also protect you too."

"Okay. It was nice knowing ya," I muttered, taking a few steps back so I was next to our female companion.

"Think he'll be all right?" I whispered to her.

"Don't know. Just have to wait and see," she whispered back.

I nodded and became quiet as Gatta pulled out a strange crossbow thingy that attached to his forearm, and held a sharp looking disc. I didn't know what kind of weapon it was, but it did look interesting.

Gatta fired off the first shot at a Bite Bug. The disc went spinning and cleanly cut through the fiend's body, instantly killing it. The disc flew through the air before turning and going back to the Crusader. He caught it easily with the contraption on his arm. Not even a second after he got the disk back he fired again; this time going after the Funguar. The fiend ducked, missing the disc, but it spun around behind it and came flying back. The creature didn't see it as it sliced straight through its middle; successfully cutting off its many heads and killing it.

There was only one fiend left now. It was a Bunyip and looked like it was going to be his most difficult opponent since its hard shell was pretty challenging to pierce. The only one capable of taking those things out was Auron.

Gatta didn't seem to be aware of that. He fired the disc at the fiend but all it managed to do was make a few scratches on it. He did it a few more times but the thing just shook off the attacks. Finally the Bunyip had enough, and charged Gatta.

I had forgotten that Auron was there too. He stepped in front of Gatta right before the fiend hit him, and took it out in one clean swipe.

"I think we're done now," he said, strapping his sword back on his back.

"Yes. Thank you for protecting me, Gatta," Belgemine said kindly to the younger man.

Gatta blushed in pleasant pride, but tried to hide it behind a serious expression. "O-Of course."

And so we went on.

After that we got to the Moonflow River pretty quickly. The road was nowhere near as long as the Highroad—something I was forever grateful for—and after we got through the forest we arrived at the Moonflow.

My first look at the river was when we came to a clearing on the side of the road. It was cleared of trees and plants, allowing visitors to see the shallow bank of the aqua river. In the shallows were flowers of all shades of purple with pyreflies rising from them.

"Whoa! What are _these_?" I asked, taken back by the sight of it all.

"This," Belgemine declared, dramatically waving out an arm, "is the Moonflow."

I whistled, deeply impressed. I crouched down by the river to get a better look at it.

"These are moonlilies! They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here when night falls," Gatta added excitedly.

Belgemine nodded. "The entire river glows, like a sea of stars."

I was awed. "Really? Oh, man, I want to see that! Can we stay, please?"

"We're not waiting till nightfall just to see a bunch of lights," Auron said in his 'this is _not_ open for discussion' tone.

I drooped, disappointed. I knew from experience that when he used that tone he wasn't budging no matter what. But the glittering flowers totally captivated me, and I really did want to see them light up. Maybe it was a bit girly of me, but I have always had a bit of a weak spot for flowers. I think it's because my mom did too and we used to spend afternoons in her garden caring for them, just the two of us. It was the only thing we ever did together that didn't involve Jecht. I think it was also the only time she ever saw just _me_… and not _him_.

"Um, shouldn't we be going before we miss the shoopuf?" Gatta finally asked after a moment of silence.

I looked up at him in confusion. "Shoopuf? What is that, some kind of boat?"

He shook his head and turned around to point to a huge lumbering beast that looked like a cross between an elephant and a dinosaur. Stunned, I fell back on my behind and watched the creature stomp by. "Whoa, what the…whoa!"

"That is a shoopuf," Gatta said, pretty much summoning it up.

"Whoa… Let's ride! Come on, let's go!" I begged, suddenly excited again. I may not get a chance to see the moonlilies, but at least I was getting a chance to ride a dinosaur.

"We'll board as soon as we get restocked," Belgemine told me, already walking down the road to where the shoopuf had gone. Gatta hurried after her quickly like a chick following its mother.

I looked back down at the flowers, and bit my lip in thought. "Hey, Auron?"

"Mmm?"

"If I pick some of the lilies, do you think the pyreflies would still gather at night?"

"I don't know. Probably not. Pyreflies are only attracted to the flowers still growing; picking them effectively stops their life."

"Oh." I stared down at the flowers for a few more minutes; trying to engrave the image of them in my mind forever more. With my luck, it would probably be the last time I saw it.

Finally I forced myself to look away, and hurried down the road to see the shoopuf. The image though of the Moonflow River—_clear water, violet flowers, swirling rainbow lights_—was successfully imprinted in my mind forever more.

* * *

When I got to the end of the road it turned out that there was a huge dock there where people could board the shoopuf for crossing. I spotted Belgemine haggling with one of the many merchants there (I forgot to tell her to go to O'aka; at least he would give us a discount) while Gatta hovered nearby; trying to look like a serious guardian but failing since he kept flashing excited looks at the shoopuf.

Standing off to the side I saw Maechen writing in a book while muttering to himself. Bored, and a bit curious, I walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

The old man spun around in surprise before brightening when he realized who it was. "Ahh, the summoner from the Highroad! It's good to see you here, my lord. I take it you're here to ride the shoopuf?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll be leaving as soon as my friends are ready."

"I see. Well why you're waiting would you like to hear a bit about the wondrous shoopuf?" Maechen asked.

"Sure. It'd be good to know what it is I'm going to be riding."

"Excellent, excellent. Well, there are many things we do not know about the shoopuf. For example, what does it eat? It eats nothing! The water it sucks through its schnoz somehow supports its considerable size. Some theorize it eats teeny-weeny waterborne organisms, but it has yet to be proven."

"I think that's most likely right. I mean there are a lot of different organisms in the water since it's a river," I said, thinking back on my biology and oceanography classes. Who knew those two years would actually come in handy?

Maechen nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes I agree completely! The river holds so many different life forms that are made up of things we can only wonder about. I'm happy to see that the young people of today are so well educated."

I laughed awkwardly at his praise. I guess when you compared me to my peers of Spira I was academically smarter. But that was because I got to go to school all my life, and spent my time learning about anything I wanted. Meanwhile the kids here were just happy if they reached adulthood. Clearly not the best comparison.

"Perhaps you'd like to hear a bit about the Hypello too, hmm?" Maechen asked, looking eager.

"Hypello? Oh you mean the guys taking care of the shoopuf. Yeah, sure, tell me about them."

"The shoopuf handlers belong to a race of water-dwellers known as the Hypello. They may be slow on land, but in the water they're quick as silvery fish! You'd think they'd make admirable players of blitzball. But their lackadaisical disposition draws them to less strenuous pastimes," the scholar explained keenly.

"Are they part of the Church like the Guado and Ronso?" I asked.

"Technically no; however, since they obey the Church they are accepted much better than the Al Bhed," he clarified. "And that, as they say, is that."

"What do you mean no?" a familiar voice screeched from behind me.

I turned my head to see Lucil, Elma, and Clasko arguing with a Hypello with their chocobo standing nearby. I quickly bid Maechen goodbye and went over to see what the trouble was.

"Noo, I don shink sho. Ish bad idea, yesh," the aquatic creature was saying, waving his fin… hands… things in front of him.

"Please, we beg of you!" Lucil pleaded.

The Hypello shook his head. "Imposhibibble! Imposhibibble!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked when I got to them.

Elma turned to look me with frustration clear on her face. "This guy won't let our chocobo on the shoopuf!"

"Oh." I looked at the chocobo and then at the shoopuf. "Ah. Well it is kinda big."

"It's just not fair!" Elma ranted, stomping her foot like a little kid.

"Uh… he does have a point, though," Clasko pointed out.

Elma turned on him with a scowl. "So, what? We just leave him behind? Is that what you want us to do?"

Clasko flinched and took a step back. "Hey, I didn't say that. Just…"

"It is no good. We will have to find another way," Lucil declared, joining the conversation. "We will find a ford where we can cross on foot."

"Yes, Captain, sir!" Elma said, saluting.

"But… that'll take days!" Clasko protested.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Lucil said firmly.

Clasko sighed. "Oh, boy…"

Elma laughed. "That's our captain!"

After that they all ran off. A few seconds after they disappeared from sight Auron came stalking up to me.

"Yo," I greeted, waving two fingers at him. "Where've you been?"

"Taking care of something," he said, stopping next to me and staring at the shoopuf in front of us. "Ten years ago…"

I groaned. "Not another trip down memory lane."

"Jecht saw his first shoopuf here," Auron continued on as if I hadn't spoken. "Surprised, he drew his blade and struck it."

"Why?"

"He was drunk… thought it was a fiend."

"Oh, brother," I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

"We offered all the money we had as an apology. Jecht never drank again," Auron finished his story, and gave the shoopuf a thoughtful look. "But, it would seem that shoopuf still works here. Even after ten years, Spira hasn't changed a bit. Truly… the place seems to resist change."

"Did you ever miss it while you were in Zanarkand?" I asked, curious.

"Sometimes. But most of the time I was happy in Zanarkand." He looked at me sideways and smirked. "I was happy living with you."

"Oh." I felt my face heat up and turned away to hide it. His words made me feel embarrassed and happy. I couldn't remember a time Auron ever said something so… nice to me.

_What the hell has he been smoking?_

"Tidus, Auron," Belgemine called, walking over to us with Gatta. "I've got everything. Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" I said a little too loudly making some people look at me. My blush grew more intense and I heard Auron chuckle lowly.

"Good." Belgemine nodded as she came to stop in front of me. She looked at me and furrowed her brows. "What's wrong with your face? Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine, fine! Just a little hot," I said quickly, moving over to the shoopuf. I had a feeling if I stayed there any longer my face was going to combust.

"Ride ze shoopuf?" the driver asked me when I got to him.

I nodded. "I'm ready! Let me on!"

"All aboards!" he called, and we all hurried onto the crane that lifted us up to the howdah on top of the shoopfu.

"Shoopuf launchin'!" the driver declared as the shoopuf began to move, and we were setting off across the river.

* * *

Riding a shoopuf is kind of like riding a very slow boat. It was uncomfortable and exciting at first, but after I got used to it I began to ease up and relax. I also began to get bored. There wasn't much to do in such little space, and my companions weren't exactly entertaining. Auron was just sitting there with his arms crossed while Belgemine sorted our supplies, and Gatta played with his weapon.

With a heavy sigh, I looked over the rail down at the water and nearly fell over in shock.

"Holy crap! A sunken city!" I cried, staring at the well-preserved ruins of a city underwater.

"It's a machina city," Gatta told me, stopping what he was doing to lean over the side with me. "It's a thousand years old! They built it on top of bridges all across the river."

"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom," added Belgemine, not looking up from her work.

"Why did they build a city over water?" I asked, confused.

"To prove they could defy the laws of nature," she answered calmly.

I stared at my teacher, skeptic. "Hmmm? I'm not so sure about that."

"Yevon has taught us: when humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they will go too far," Gatta explained.

"Oh." I got it now. If Yevon said so then it _must_ be true. Ignoring the fact that their logic had so many holes in it you could run a herd of chocobos through it, Yevon was always right!

If you couldn't catch the sarcasm in that then, please, refrain from breeding.

_I wonder how long this ride will take,_ I mused a bit later, lacing my hands together so I could rest my chin on them, and stare down at the water.

A few minutes passed before we all heard a strange rumbling noise. Everyone looked up at each other as it slowly got louder and louder.

"Whatsh could thatsh be?" the driver asked, stopping the shoopuf and looking over the edge.

I looked back over the edge as well and squinted at the water before my eyes got big. Swimming up towards us was a blond spiky-haired Al Bhed, and behind him was a huge machina.

I automatically jumped back and landed on the seat next to Belgemine. I didn't get a chance to warn them when the stranger did some weird super jump (he must've been part ninja) and landed inside with us.

Everyone acted instantly by pulling out his or her weapons or magic, but they were all too slow. The Al Bhed leapt towards me and pushed me over the edge; wrapping his arms around me as we both hit the water.

I acted the moment we were in the river. I elbowed him in the stomach and he loosened up enough for me to get one of my arms free to pull out my sword. I didn't want to kill him so I just hit him on the head with the hilt of the blade. As soon as I did he let me go, and I began swimming up to the surface.

"Auron!" I gasped once broke through the water. I looked up at the shoopuf to see my friends staring down at me.

"Tidus, swim to the side and I'll pull you up," Auron instructed, surprisingly calm.

I did as he said. When I got to the side of the shoopuf Auron was hanging off the side with one arm stretched out towards me, and the other holding onto the rail.

"Grab my hand," he commanded.

I tried to reach up towards him but I couldn't reach. I stretched my arm some more and the tips of my fingers managed to graze his.

"Auron, hurry they're coming back!" Belgemine warned, staring over the edge into the water with narrowed eyes.

"Gatta, hold him off," Auron ordered, stretching his arm out a bit more too until he could curl his fingers around mine.

"I can't! My weapon doesn't work in water!" Gatta cried, frantic and distressed.

Beginning to feel a bit frantic myself, I sheathed my sword and braced my foot against the side of the shoopuf, and pushed myself up more; when I did that I could finally grasp Auron's hand. I felt his warm, callused hand wrap around mine the moment that a cold, smooth claw wrapped around my ankle.

"Auron!" I yelped as my hand was pulled out of his, and I was dragged back down into the water. I stared up at his blurry figure as I was dragged down deeper and deeper into the river until finally I couldn't see anything at all.


	10. Part II: Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** II**:** C**hapter** F**our

* * *

"Tidus? Tidus, please wake up. Please, I'm sorry. Oh man, oh man, I am _so_ dead!"

That was the first thing I heard when I woke up. A girl's voice pleading with me to wake up and making apologies. It took me a few seconds to realize I recognized that voice, and connect who that voice belonged to.

"Rikku?" I croaked, opening one eye.

There was a squeal before a mass of blond hair was stuffed up my nose, and a great weight was suddenly on my chest.

"You're alive! It's a miracle! A dream come true!" she shrieked, making me wince. Could she be any louder?

"Rikku? Rikku, get off of me," I said, raising a hand to push her head away.

The blond retreated and helped me sit up before sitting on her knees in front of me. She watched me in worry as I cradled my head and groaned in pain.

"Do you want a potion? Some water? A bucket to puke in?" she asked.

"No. I'll be okay," I told her. The pain in my head was lessening enough that I could open my eyes to finally see the Al Bhed girl in front of me.

Rikku didn't look any different from the time I saw her. The only real change was that she was wearing clothes now instead of a wetsuit. She had on an orange shirt, lime green shorts, a weird weapon wrapped around her arm, and her blond hair was now fully visible.

"Rikku, you… you're okay," I said slowly. I had wondered ever since I woke up in Luca what exactly happened to Rikku and her shipmates. I was glad to see that at least she survived.

Rikku gave me a weird look. "Uhh, yeah. I'm not the one with a concussion here."

"Concussion? What concussion? Ho—" And that's when I remembered. The shoopuf. The Al Bhed. Falling into the river. Watching Auron drift away as I was pulled down. The fuzzy relief was now replaced with anger.

"You guys kidnapped me! Again!" I yelled, pointing at Rikku. "What the hell is wrong with you people? This is the third time that its happened!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you when we captured you. All we knew was that you were a summoner," Rikku wailed.

"What does being a summoner have to do with anything?"

"Well… see, it's kind of a long story…"

"Then start explaining," I said sweetly while glaring acidly at her.

With a huge sigh, Rikku did as I asked, and told me how the Al Bhed were capturing summoners around Spira to stop them from dying when they get the Final Aeon. She explained that her people didn't think it was right for summoners to have to die for something that wouldn't last very long.

"That's why we kidnapped you when you were passing through the Moonflow River," she said, finishing her story. "But I didn't mean for you to get hurt! If I had known it was you I would have told them to leave you alone."

"Why?" I asked, not getting her logic.

"Because you're going to defeat Sin once and for all, remember?"

"You still remember that?"

"Of course! That's not something you forget easily!"

I sighed and gave her a tired look. "Okay. Fine. Now that you know it's me and that I'm fine can you take me back to my friends? They're probably all really worried about me right now."

"Um, well, you see, that's kind of a problem," Rikku said, laughing nervously. "See, we're at an Al Bhed camp and everyone here has been ordered to make sure you don't leave."

I gave her a flat look. "You didn't tell them about my job did you?"

She shook her head. "Mm-mm. I wasn't sure if they would believe me or not, and if they did I didn't know what they would do to you."

"I see. So I'm being held prisoner at an Al Bhed camp because I was forced to be a special summoner to stop Sin permanently, only my 'protectors' don't know this, and think that in the end I'm going to die and Sin will only be destroyed for a few years. Does that pretty much cover it?"

Rikku nodded.

I bit the inside of my cheek and tried not to laugh. This was great, just great. I was trapped by people who were trying to protect me. Irony, anyone?

"Rikku you have to get me out of here," I said. "I can't stay here. I have a mission to complete that affects all of Spira!"

"I know, I know!" she cried, waving her hands in front of her defensively. "I have an idea but it might take a couple hours—"

"Why?"

"Because that's when the guards watching over you change," Rikku explained.

"Guards?" I repeated, staring at her.

She nodded and pointed to the door off to right of us. "There are two Al Bhed men out there guarding the door to make sure you don't try to runaway. In two hours their shift will be over and two other guys will take their place. When they leave that's when we'll sneak you out."

I nodded. "Okay, sounds like a plan. By the way, how long was I out? Actually, how did you guys pull that off? I remember everything going dark, but I know I wasn't drowning because I can hold my breath for a long time."

"Oh, that. Yeah, we knocked you out since you kept fighting us. I think that was about… forty-five minutes ago," she estimated, shrugging.

I winced. My guardians had no idea where I was for forty-five minutes? Man, Auron and Belgemine were going to _murder_ me when I saw them again.

The only door to the room slid open and in walked an Al Bhed man dressed in blue and brown clothes with goggles. He looked me up and down a few times before turning to Rikku.

"Neggi ruf ec dra cissuhan?" he said. (1)

"Ra'c ugyo. Y ped tecuntanat pid dryd'c ypuid ed," Rikku answered.

The stranger nodded. "Kuut, kuut. Tet ra dymg du oui? Fryd tet ra cyo?"

"Ra ycgat fryd fyc kuehk uh yht E dumt res fa fana kuehk du bnudald res. Dryd'c ypuid ed," Rikku said, shrugging

"E caa. Famm oui lyh ku huf. Ra fuh'd pa kuehk yhofrana. E drehg Pnudran ryc cusadrehk vun oui du tu," the man said.

Rikku nodded and flashed me an encouraging smile. "Nekrd."

I watched her get up from the bed and then both Al Bhed left the room. I was now alone and confused about what just happened. I had only gotten a little bit through the book Rin had given me so I still hadn't grasped much of the Al Bhed language. Everything still sounded like gibberish to me.

Alone, I looked around the room I was in and found nothing interesting. All there was was the bed I was on, a metal desk, and the door. No way for me to escape or even entertain myself. Greeeat.

_Anima? Valefor? Ifrit? Ixion? Heeellllo? Anyone there? Anyone?_

There was only silence in my mind. My fayth friends were apparently busy.

Defeated in every way, I could only lay back on the bed and wait for Rikku to come back.

* * *

My prison was six steps wide both ways. It also had fourteen rust stains on the ceiling, and three dents in the walls. There was also a screw missing in the wall next to the bed.

All in all, it was a very boring room. I was slowly going crazy in it. It didn't help that Rikku was late coming back.

I just began another round of seeing how long I could keep from blinking when the door (finally!) slammed open. I sat up and looked to see Rikku standing there huffing and puffing.

"Where have you—" I began but she interrupted me.

"No time!" she gasped, walking towards me and pulling me up by the wrist. "The camp in under attack by fiends!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

* * *

Rikku had lied. It wasn't an attack on the Al Bhed camp. It was a complete annihilation.

There were fiends _everywhere_. They poured in from all around like water to a sinking ship. Every time one went down five more took its place. There seemed to be no end to them.

"Dra nekrd! Dra nekrd! Red dras uh dra nekrd!" screamed an Al Bhed man near me, pointing a weapons machina at a flying fiend. (2)

"Red ed eh dra settma! Dra settma!" another yelled.

"Pareht oui!"

"Tea, paycd!"

It was like being in the middle of a war.

At my side, Rikku tugged desperately on my wrist. "Tidus, please summon an aeon! We can't defeat them all on our own!"

I nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah. Right. I will. Just give me a moment."

Tearing my eyes away from the gruesome scene, I focused on the powers inside of me. Anima, Valefor, Ifrit, and Ixion were all there; threaded together and to me. I focused on touching all of them and summoning their aeons to my aide.

_Please come, please come, please come, please come,_ I chanted over and over, praying that they would hear me.

A moment passed and then there was a roar, a shriek, a moan, and a joyful cry from the Al Bhed.

I smiled. They had come.

The battle after is something I remember vividly. Valefor—graceful and fluid—swooping down to pick off fiends and then gracefully dodging attacks. Ifrit—fierce and strong—ripped fiends apart and burned others. Ixion—who looked like an elaborate unicorn, and fought like one too—took out one fiend with his horn, and then disintegrated another with his lightening. And finally Anima—tortured, grotesque, beautiful Anima—obliterated all with a single strike of her power.

I watched it all in awe for a few minutes before I realized that standing there gawking was stupid; I should be helping them!

"Rikku!" I cried, turning to my awestruck friend. I shook her by the shoulders to jolt her out of it. "Rikku, my sword! Where's my sword?"

"Huh? Oh!" Rikku snapped back to the present, and began digging through her bag. "I have it here! Hold on its… no, no, no… what the heck is this? A tuna roll, oh, Brother, you slob… trash, potions, material… ah ha! Found it!"

Finally, beneath her piles of junk, Rikku pulled out Brotherhood and handed it to me. "Here ya go!"

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks."

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.

"What do you think?" I asked, shrugging off my robe and hefting my blade up. "I'm gonna kick some ass!"

She cheered. "Right on! Let's do this!"

And so together we joined in the fight. We helped the aeons and the Al Bhed cut down as many fiends as possible. It wasn't easy; like I said there was a lot of them, and even with my aeons backing me up, I still had to fight them by myself. Since I was still an inexperienced swordsman this was a bit hard for me, but after awhile I got the hang of it, and was soon taking them out a bit easier. It helped that Rikku was there with me too.

Eventually they were finally all gone.

_That was fun,_ I thought sarcastically, breathing hard and collapsing on the ground with my sword next me. My muscles ached, I was really tired and I had a few wounds, but all in all I was okay. At least I wasn't, you know, _dead_.

I ran a hand through my sweaty hair and took in the scenery around me. It was already late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set; casting the sky and forest in an orange and red light. It fit perfectly with the bloody battlefield around me.

I spotted my aeons gathered together and waved a hand at them in thanks as they all disappeared. I felt their power settle back inside me, and it gave me a little more strength. Made me feel a little more solid and real.

A few minutes later Rikku came to sit next to me. "Whoa! What a day, huh?"

"You said it." I watched as the Al Bhed began to separate the dead from the wounded and began picking up the remains of the machina scattered about. "I don't get it though. Why did so many fiends attack this one place?"

"I don't know. It's never happened to us before. I heard though that the blitzball stadium was attacked by fiends too recently. Maybe they're connected?" Rikku answered, biting her lower lip.

I frowned. This case was just getting weirder and weirder.

"Pek pnudran! Pek pnudran fyga ib! Bmayca, fyga ib!" (3)

Rikku and I turned to the voice yelling to see a boy a little younger than us crying hysterically over a dead man. A few others were trying to pull him away from the body, but the boy refused to let go.

"How many do you think died?" I asked softly, feeling a deep sadness settle over me.

"A lot. But not as much as there would have been if you hadn't been here," she answered, leaning against me. "Thank you, Tidus. You saved a lot of my people today."

_But not everyone,_ I thought sadly. Death, death, death. Was there anything more to Spira than death? I think I saw more people die in the past two days than I ever did living for seventeen years in Zanarkand.

But not anymore.

"Where are they taking the wounded?" I asked Rikku, looking down at her.

"Inside probably. Why?"

"Take me to them. I think I can help with their recovery," I answered.

* * *

Rikku took me back into the Al Bhed camp down into the ground where their medical center was located. Their camp was a wide, iron building that extended down and out into the ground. It wasn't very tall and was heavily camouflaged to keep outsiders away. The Al Bhed were real anal about their privacy. Considering the way they were treated though, I couldn't blame them.

When we got down there I immediately got to healing as much Al Bhed as I could. I didn't want to see anymore corpses today.

Rikku played translator/defense for me whenever someone came up to us to ask what the hell I was doing. Once they understood I was only trying to help, they lightened up and let me do my job.

"When did you learn magic?" asked Rikku, sitting on a table and swinging her legs as she watched me heal a man's broken collar bone.

"About a week ago. Belgemine—my guardian—has been teaching me how," I explained as I finished the spell. I stood up and scanned the rest of him to see if he was suffering from anymore wounds.

"Belgemine… she's your guardian, huh? Do have anymore?" she asked.

"Mm-hm." I noticed his left side looked awkward. I felt around and realized his ribs were broken. "Two more: Auron, the guy who watched over me in Zanarkand, and Gatta, a Crusader who joined more because he wanted to protect Belgemine than me."

"I see…"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Weeelll, see, I was thinking… maybe I could go with you… maybe… as your guardian too," she replied carefully, dragging out her words.

I looked up from my work to arch an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

"Because you're my friend of course," she said innocently.

I raised my other eyebrow; silently telling her to try again.

"Okay, actually I want to help you defeat Sin. I feel so… so _useless_ sitting around doing nothing while people keep dying out there! I wanna help, Tidus. Please let me help you!"

Rikku stared up at me with watery puppy dog eyes, and I knew then I was gonna give in. There was no way I could ever say no to _that_ look.

"Oh fine, fine! Just stop looking at me like that!" I yelled, pointing a finger at her.

Rikku's look instantly cleared up into a happy one as she cheered. "Yay! Thank you, Tidus! I promise I won't let you down! I'll be a good guardian; one of the best."

I just grunted and went back to my patient. An Al Bhed for a guardian; the others were just gonna _love_ this.

* * *

I healed as many as Al Bhed as I could before Rikku forced me to stop. She said I was beginning to look faint and tired. I don't know what she was talking about. I was perfectly fine! Sure the ground might have been tilting a little bit, but I'm sure that was just the floor's fault. Seriously. It was.

"Drink this," she ordered, handing me a cup of water.

I took it without complaint. I now know from experience not to argue with a woman when she thinks you're unwell. Belgemine had taught me that well enough with her own smothering.

"Dryhgc," I said after I finished it, and handed the cup back to her. I laughed when I noticed her stunned expression. "I guess I said that right then? I meant to say 'thanks' now."

"Y-You said it correctly. But when did you start speaking Al Bhed?" Rikku asked.

"A few days ago. I met an Al Bhed man named Rin who gave me this book, and suggested I learn the language. So far I only know a few words like hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome. You know, basic stuff."

Rikku cheered. "Oh this is great! I've never met someone who wanted to learn our language! Do you want me to help you?"

"Sure. You can correct me whenever I say something wrong."

"Yay! This is gonna be so much fun."

"Rikku! Ec dryd dra cissuhan oui'na dymgehk du?" (4)

Rikku and I both looked to see who had interrupted our conversation. It was an Al Bhed man who I recognized as one of the guys who was standing guard in front of my door earlier.

"Keyakku," Rikku greeted cheerfully. "Oac, drec ec Tidus. Fro?"

"Fa ryja pineat ymm dra puteac uv uin vymmah. Tu oui drehg ra luimt banvuns y cahtehk vun ic?" the man—Keyakku?—said to her.

"E tuh'd ghuf. Mad sa ycg res," she replied, and then turned to look at me. "Tidus, could you do a sending for our fallen?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never performed one before. But I guess I could give it a try."

"Good enough. Keyakku, ra cyoc ra'c hajan tuha uha pavuna pid ra'c femmehk du dno."

The man nodded. "Kuut ahuikr. Mad'c ku."

Rikku and I followed Keyakku—turns out that really was his name—up to the surface and then out into the forest where they had buried their dead. There were seventeen graves spread out in neat rows with Al Bhed men and women standing off to the sides with solemn expressions.

"This is it," Rikku said to me in a soft voice. I didn't have to look at her to know she was trying not to cry.

Silently, I walked over to stand over the graves. Belgemine had explained to me that sendings were usually done with a staff but didn't always have to be. Just like summoning an aeon, a sending was about focusing on your connection to the fayth to communicate your will to send the dead to the Farplane. The only reason most summoners used a staff was because it strengthened their connection to the fayth. I didn't need that though because my connection was strong enough as it was. I could hear them in mind; I think that was proof enough.

"Performing a sending is simply dancing with the spirits of the deceased. Think of it as a way of encouraging them to rise up from the ground and leave this world behind," is what Belgemine had told me. So that's what I did. I danced while sending my feelings and thoughts to the Al Bhed who had died hours before. I sent them my wish that they would move on to the Farplane where they would be safe and happy. I sent them with my hope and the thoughts of their loved ones. I danced with all the feelings and thoughts I had in me until all the swirling pyreflies had drifted up and away. And you know what? Through it all I only tripped over my feet twice.

Huzzah for me.

At the end of it I collapsed to my knees. All the remaining strength I had left was put into that sending. Now that it was over my body felt like it was three times heavier than it usually was. I didn't even think I had the strength to _blink_.

"Tidus!" Rikku was at my side not a second after I hit the ground. I leaned against her as she wrapped her skinny arm around my shoulders.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I grunted.

"Is that a yes or a no?" she asked again.

"It was a yes," I muttered. "Rikku?"

"Yeah?"

"You got anything to eat? I'm really hungry."

She laughed. "Yeah, we have food. Come on back inside, and I'll make you something to eat."

* * *

In the end I needed both Rikku and Keyakku's help to make it back inside. They took me to a huge room where other Al Bhed were all sitting on long tables eating and talking and celebrating their victory. I was sat down near the front between Rikku and Keyakku and forced to eat the strange, but tasty Al Bhed food.

"What is this called?" I asked, poking a strange fish looking thing.

Rikku looked at my plate. "Syre."

"Oh. What's that?"

She shook her head. "You don't wanna know."

I stopped asking about the food after that. Instead I tried to communicate with the Al Bhed man sitting next to me.

"I'm Tidus," I introduced, smiling.

Keyakku just stared at me blankly.

"Tidus," I said, pointing to my chest. Then I pointed at his chest. "Keyakku."

His expression brightened in understanding. "Ur, oui'na dammehk sa ouin hysa! Ti-dus?" (6)

I nodded though I had no idea what he just said. I just recognized my name. "Tidus."

"Tidus," he parroted. He looked around the table before picking up his cup. "Lib."

"Lib," I repeated. "Cup."

"Cup." Then he pointed to his hair. "Ryen. Ryen."

"Ryen," I said slowly, trying to get the pronunciation right. "Ryen. Ryen. Hair."

"Hair?" he repeated, looking confused.

I nodded, and touched my own blond locks. "Hair."

"Tidus, hair," Keyakku said, smiling proudly. "Keyakku, ryen."

"Keyakku, ryen," I repeated, and then laughed.

Maybe speaking Al Bhed was going to be easier than I thought.

I learned twelve new words that night. Including the first two from Keyakku, I also learned eye, food, night, floor, table, flower, chair, plate, water and nose.

I was in the middle of trying to pronounce the word for nose ("Hucaa?" "Huc_a_.") when my long-lost guardians finally made their appearance.

"Tidus, there's someone here to see you," Rikku told me, tapping me on the shoulder.

I looked at her in confusion. "Who?"

"Us," answered a familiar baritone voice.

I didn't even need to look to know who it was. "Auron. You found me. About time."

"Hmp. Sorry I didn't get here sooner, but I was a bit preoccupied trying to figure out _where_ you were in the first place," my guardian retorted, walking through the door with my other two guardians following behind.

"Tidus!" Belgemine cried out in relief, rushing to my side. She forced Rikku out of the way so she could sit down next to me, and gently touched my face. "By Yevon you're a white as a cloud! What have you done to yourself?"

"Well first I was fighting fiends with all my aeons; then I healed a whole bunch of Al Bhed; and finally I just performed my first sending. And now I'm eating and learning some new Al Bhed words," I answered honestly, taking a bite of my bread. I handed it out to her. "Want some?"

"I do!" cried Gatta, leaning over to take my bread.

"What were you fighting fiends for?" asked Auron, giving Keyakku a look that had him giving up his seat to the older man.

"A whole bunch of them attacked the Al Bhed's camp here earlier. I had to summon all my aeons just to fight them all off."

"All of them?" Belgemine was horrified. "Oh Yevon, you need to rest. Get up; get up right now. You are going straight to bed."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because your body has used too much power in a short amount of time; power it is still trying to adapt to. You shouldn't even be able to sit here right now!" she said before looking over to my first guardian. "Auron, please help me get him up and to a bed. He needs rest before he faints."

"Where?" he asked, looking around the dining room pointedly.

"We have a room you all can use," Rikku said, standing behind Belgemine.

Auron looked over his glasses at her. "I don't think I trust having the brat sleep in a room provided by his kidnappers."

"And while we're on the subject, who are you exactly? And why did you kidnap Tidus?" Belgemine interrogated, turning to loom over her.

"I'm Rikku. I'm Tidus's new guardian. Right?" she answered, beaming.

I nodded. "Yup. Rikku is my new guardian. And my kidnapping was an accident. She didn't know it was me at the time."

Auron and Belgemine stared at me while Gatta reached over my shoulder to steal more of my food.

"What?" asked the female summoner.

"Rikku is my guardian now. She asked and I agreed. Don't worry; she knows my story. She was the person who first saved me, remember? I told you guys about her," I explained.

Belgemine stared at Rikku with narrowed hazel eyes. After a few seconds Rikku began to fidget nervously while shooting me 'save me!' looks.

"Belgemine," I called with a sigh. "Leave her alone. I promise she'll be a good guardian."

"That's right. I promise I won't let Tidus get hurt," the Al Bhed girl pledged eagerly.

Belgemine ignored us both and looked over to Auron. "What do you think, Auron?"

"I think it's a stupid and pointless decision," he answered bluntly. "But it's Tidus's decision to make. Not ours. If he wants her to come along then she's coming."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I'll be keeping an eye on you, girl. You better make sure you keep your promise or I'll send you to the Farplane posthaste. Got it?"

Rikku nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

"Great. Now that we're all acquainted can I get back to eating here before Gatta steal all my food?" I complained, smacking the brown hand sneaking towards my blueberry muffin.

"Yes. Hurry up and eat so you can go to bed," commanded Belgemine, looking over my head at the Crusader behind me. "You eat too, Gatta. But make your own plate and stop eating from Tidus's."

"Yes, ma'am," Gatta muttered, moving to sit next to Auron.

"So how'd you guys find me?" I asked, eating the rest of my salad.

"Your battle was loud. We could hear the shrieks and machina from miles away," answered Auron, trying to pretend like he wasn't eyeing up my brownie like a dog with a bone.

I rolled my eyes and pushed it towards him. "Here, take it. I doubt I'll eat it anyway."

He took it without complaint.

"How'd you guys get past the Al Bhed guarding the entrance?" Rikku asked.

"We asked for Tidus and told them we were his guardians and they let us through," replied Belgemine, watching me impatiently. "Are you done yet?"

I sighed and nodded. There was no way I was going to be able to eat in peace now with the mother hen clucking over me. "Yes, I'm done. Rikku, can you take us to our room now?"

"Hey, I'm not done eating!" protested Gatta.

"You can still eat. It's just Tidus who needs sleep."

"I'll go with him. Belgemine will stay here with you to also eat," Auron commanded, standing up.

My teacher looked ready to argue with him, but he just _looked_ at her and she backed down. That's Auron for you. Scaring people with just one look.

"Don't worry, Belgemine. I promise I'll go to sleep," I promised her as I stood up. I gave her a kiss on the cheek in reassurance, patted Gatta on the shoulder, and then followed Rikku with Auron to my room.

The room Rikku took us to was a lot bigger than the one I was in before. It had six beds, a few tables and a few chairs. But like the last one it was all metal and iron with no windows and only one door.

I immediately claimed the bed nearest to the door. "Mine!"

Rikku giggled and took a step back. "I guess I'll leave you to sleep now. I'll go get the bossy lady and your friend."

I waved a hand at her as she left the room; closing the door behind her, and leaving Auron and me alone.

"She's quite the character, huh?" I commented, turning to look at the man sitting on the bed next to mine.

"She's young. A bit _too_ young," he said, shrugging off his coat and making himself comfortable.

"Yeah, but she'll be a good guardian. I trust her," I said confidently.

"Hmp." Auron pulled up his black leather sack to change the brace on his arm. Seeing it reminded me of my own bag. Where the hell was it? I would have to ask Rikku later.

"Man, I'm beat. I can't believe how many things I did today. Rode a shoopuf; got kidnapped by some Al Bhed again; killed a bunch of fiends; performed my first sending. You know what would make this day complete?"

"We are not going to see the moonlilies," he said flatly, seeing right through me.

I pouted. "Aww, why not? It's nighttime and we're right next to it. Pleeeease?"

"No. We all need to rest so we can leave early tomorrow to make up the time we lost today thanks to you."

"You make it sound like it was _my_ fault I got kidnapped."

"I didn't say that—"

"Your tone implied it. You were using your 'I'm not going to say it out loud but I'll be thinking it,' voice. Don't deny it, Auron. We both know I'm right.

"… You know, I was going to give you something, but I changed my mind. Now I think I'll just throw it away."

"Present? You got me a present?" I sat up quickly and turned to face him while holding my hands out. "Gimme!"

Auron raised a teasing eyebrow. "Why should I?"

"Because if you don't then it will just go to waste," I said seriously. I got up and moved to sit down on his bed near the end. I crossed my legs and stared at him eagerly. "Okay, let's see it. What'd ya get me?"

"Nothing big. Just…" he trailed off while reaching inside his coat's inner pocket to pull out three purple flowers with pyreflies dancing around them.

I gasped. "Those are moonlilies! Where'd, why'd, how'd—?"

"I picked them back before we got on the shoopuf. You looked so pathetic when I told you we couldn't stay to see them that it actually made me feel sorry for you," Auron explained, handing the flowers to me.

I took them and held them carefully in my hand like they were made of glass. The pyreflies twirling around them made them shine brighter than any star I had ever seen.

"Auron… thank you," I whispered, giving him a soft smile.

He shrugged, acting all dismissive but I could tell he was pleased. "You're welcome. You can be my good deed for the month now."

"You're a real saint," I replied, staring back down at the moonlilies. It was funny. Three picked lilies were hardly what I was expecting when I envisioned the Moonflow River earlier. But somehow, I felt that if I saw the river now, it wouldn't even compare to the light of those three flowers.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

**1)** "Rikku how is the summoner?"

"He's okay. A bit disordered but that's about it."

"Good, good. Did he talk to you? What did he say?"

"He asked what was going on and I told him we were going to protect him. That's about it."

"I see. Well you can go now. He won't be going anywhere. I think Brother has something for you to do."

"Right."

**2)** "The right! The right! Hit them on the right!"

"Hit it in the middle! The middle!"

"Behind you!"

"Die, beast!"

**3)** "Big brother! Big brother wake up! Please, wake up!"

**4)** Rikku! Is that the summoner you're talking to?"

"Yes, this is Tidus. Why?"

"We have buried all the bodies of our fallen. Do you think he could perform a sending for us?"

"I don't know. Let me ask him."

**5)** "Keyakku, he says he's never done one before but he's willing to try."

"Good enough. Let's go."

**6)** "Oh, you're telling me your name! Ti-dus?"


	11. Part II: Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** II**: **C**hapter** F**ive

* * *

We left the Al Bhed camp the next morning with Rikku now in our ranks. The Al Bhed there were grateful for everything I had done for them the day before, so they sent us all off with their blessing and apology for kidnapping me. Again.

Once we found the main road again we were on our way. We got to Guadosalam at around midday. The heat had risen so we were all hot, sweaty and irritated. Seeing the huge tree-like entrance to Guadosalam was a huge relief to all of us.

When we got inside of the city I was admittedly taken back. The place was like a giant tree house. Seriously, for a moment I thought we had stepped into some kind of freaky fantasy RPG. I half expected to see a couple elves pop out to greet us.

In reality it was an old, stuffy looking Guado that greeted us as when arrived.

"We have been expecting you, milord. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, please, this way," he said, reaching for my hand.

I stared at him flabbergasted until Auron stepped in front of me, and stopped the Guado's hand. Between the two of them, Auron was clearly the more intimidating one. He was about the same height as the Guado (who was oddly short for as far as Guados go), but he was much broader across the shoulders and arms. He also wasn't dressed like a sissy.

"Step away," he ordered, staring down the Guado until he did as ordered. Pretty impressive considering he had one eye and a pair of dark sunglasses on. But then again, this was _Auron_ we were talking about here.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," the old Guado apologized, bowing. "I'm called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lord Tidus."

_Seymour. Of course. Should've known._

"Did he say why?" I asked, eyeing up the huge palace-like structure behind him.

Tromell shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say. Please, come inside the manor. All will be explained there. Of course, your friends are also welcome."

"Twist our arms why don't ya!" Rikku muttered, scratching her cheek.

"Well, might as well get it over with," I sighed, and followed the old man into the manor.

Tromell left us waiting in the front foyer while he left to check on… something. I don't know. I wasn't listening. I was a bit preoccupied with gawking around the place. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It looked like a mansion but with a sophisticated tree house theme to it.

"These are the past leaders of the Guado," Belgemine told me when I wandered over to where she was inspecting _Seymour's portrait, among others._

"They all look the same," I commented, comparing them.

"Maester Seymour doesn't look like them, though," Gatta pointed out, and he was right. Seymour was, admittedly, better looking than his ancestors. I think he had Anima to thank for that.

"That's probably because his mom was a human," I said to him without thinking.

Belgemine glanced at me sharply. "How did you know that?"

I froze. "Uhh…"

Tromell saved me from answering by emerging from the inner rooms of the mansion. "This way, please. Lord Seymour will be with you in a moment."

We all followed him into the banquet hall where Rikku and Gatta immediately attacked the buffet table. If it was another time and place, I probably would have joined them. Unfortunately my stomach was too twisted into too many knots for me to eat.

So instead I stood between Auron and Belgemine and waited impatiently for Seymour to come. Tromell, for reasons I don't know, tried to make conversation with us despite the looks Auron kept giving him. It made me wonder if all Guado were as fearless or as dense as him.

"Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet," he said to Belgemine and me.

Belgemine nodded in agreement. "The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?"

"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado. He was truly a great man," assured Belgemine

"Truly, a loss for us all," Tromell said with a sad sigh. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour… he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira!"

"That is enough, Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?" Seymour reprimand gaily, finally making his grand appearance. He paused at the doorway to sweep his eyes over the room before giving a Yevon bow_._ "Welcome!"

I stepped forward. "You… wanted to see me?"

Seymour waved a dismissive hand. "Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush."

I stared at him flatly. "Uhh, actually there is. I'm on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin here. Remember?"

Tromell and Belgemine both sucked in a breath at my obvious disrespect. Seymour only gave me an amused look. "Pardon me. It has been a long time since I had guests. Very well. The reason I asked you here was to speak to you about Anima." He paused for a moment and then added, "In private."

"Fine," I said before my guardians could disagree. "Then we can leave, right?"

He nodded. "Of course. Please, come this way."

I gave my guardians a reassuring smile before following the maester into an adorning room on the side. It was smaller than the hall and looked more like a sitting room.

"So… what did you want to ask about Anima?" I asked, turning around only to find Seymour standing right behind me. I took a few steps back and glared up at him. "Ever heard of personal space?"

He smiled. "My apologies. Please, take a seat and I will explain why I asked to speak to you."

I sat down on the sofa across from him, and crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay. Start talking."

"When we spoke before Operation Mi'ihen, you told me that the fayth instructed you to go to Anima. You also commented back in Luca that you have spoken to her more than once. I want you to explain what you meant."

With a heavy sigh, I explained my situation to the Guado. "I can talk to the fayth in my mind whenever I want. Or rather, whenever they're available. I've talked to Anima the most and she's told me about what happened to you two."

"I see. And do you have any proof of this?" he asked, looking skeptic but curious.

I pondered the question for a moment before grinning. "Your childhood plushie was named Hoohoo."

Seymour's face turned a light shade of pink that oddly complimented his eyes. I couldn't help but stare, entranced by the very human reaction.

"I… believe you," he said, clearing his throat and pushing the blush away. "So you have spoken to my mother. And now you know my story."

"Yeah. But it's more than that. I… she asked me to save you. And I promised her I would," I told him.

"Save me?" he repeated before laughing. "You promised her _you _would save _me_? How?"

"I… I don't know," I admitted, suddenly feeling very foolish and naïve. How was I supposed to save someone that I didn't even know? And what was I supposed to save him from again?

Seymour regarded me mutely for a few minutes before finally speaking again. "If you are truly determined to save me, might I make a suggestion?"

I shrugged. "Shoot."

"The most important goal in my life is to ease the suffering of Spira. I want to bring them joy and relief until Sin is defeated," he explained. "But I cannot do that alone. That's where you come in."

"How? What do you want me to do?"

Seymour smirked. "Marry me."

I stared at him, waiting for the punch line. When it didn't come I decided I must not have heard him right. "Excuse me? Can you repeat that?"

"I asked you to marry me," he said in a drawn out tone.

My brain stalled. I rubbed my eyes a few times. Pinched myself on the thigh. Nothing. The smirking Guado was still in front of me. I wasn't dreaming.

_Well in that case…_

I exploded. "Are you insane?" I screamed, standing up to point at him. "How the hell did you connect 'save me' to 'marry me'?"

Seymour frowned. He probably wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "You said you wanted to save me, but I don't need saving. However, you can help me bring the people of Spira a distraction from Sin. By marrying me you will bring a light of hope to the people of Spira. A Guado maester and a human summoner joining together in a powerful bond to overcome Sin. Can you imagine how happy they'll be?"

Okay, I could understand that. Seeing someone powerful get married would be like a symbol of a better future I guess. But why _me_?

"But why does it have to be me? Why not someone like… like Yuna! She's the daughter of a High Summoner!" I pointed out. Then paused and realized what I just said and blanched. I just offered _Yuna_ to _Seymour_. Bad, Tidus, bad!

"Lady Yuna would be a more ideal choice," Seymour admitted, standing up and moving to stand (read: leer) over me. "However, I find myself fonder of you than I am of her."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically, backing away only to fall back onto the couch. That didn't stop me though. I scooted down to the other end while Seymour sat down next to me.

"So you like me. Great. But what about love? Isn't that, like, a necessity in marriage?"

He scoffed. "You don't have to love someone to marry them. Actually, in arranged marriages love usually doesn't come later after you know your spouse better. I think that would apply to our case best."

Crap. Talking to this guy was like trying to navigate a maze while wearing a blindfold. I was getting nowhere.

"_Can_ I even marry you?" I asked, grasping at straws and knowing it.

"Of course. The age of marriage is fourteen."

I resisted the urge to gag. _Eww. Pedophiles!_

"You know, there's no need to answer right away. Think it over for however long you want. Don't feel pressured to agree," he said smoothly, smiling at me kindly.

I gave him a flat look. "I had intended to."

Seymour's smile morphed into a smirk. I think he was beginning to get that I could see through his little Boy Scout façade, and that wearing his mask around me wasn't scoring him any points. Honestly, I would probably respect him a lot more if he would just be himself.

"What about my pilgrimage? You know I'm not giving that up," I said, just remembering it.

"I wouldn't dream of asking you to," he replied. "In fact, I want you to continue your pilgrimage. Defeating Sin is a major priority to all of us."

"But if I do defeat Sin… I would have to die. Could you really stand to send your partner off like that?" I asked him. Actually there was a chance I wasn't going to die, but he didn't know that, and I didn't plan to share it with him yet. I really wanted to know his answer to such a dilemma.

Seymour stared at me like it was obvious. "Of course."

I felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over me. How could he just dismiss me so obviously like that? He wanted to marry me yet he had no problems sending me off to die. Maybe I was being overly sensitive, but such a thought just didn't sit well with me. How could I marry someone who didn't care enough to try and stop me from fighting Sin?

"Well in that case I think we're done here. Goodbye, Maester Seymour," I said, giving him a fake smile and standing up. I marched over to the door and threw it open to find my guardians and Tromell waiting there. They all looked at me in obvious curiosity and concern.

"We're leaving," I told them, walking to the exit.

"Tidus!" Seymour called, catching up to me thanks to his freakily long legs. I felt his fingers wrap around my elbow and stop me in my tracks. I hissed as he jerked me around. He was surprisingly strong. Must be the Guado blood.

"Let go," I said, trying to pull my arm back and failing.

"I have offended you. I'm sorry," he apologized, sounding totally unapologetic.

"The hell you are! What kind of person asks someone to marry them and then agrees to let them die in the next sentence?"

"Because I thought if I had said otherwise I would have offended you!"

"Well, congratulations because you did, genius! Now let go or so help me—!"

The sound of a sword being drawn cut through our argument. Before anyone could blink, Auron placed his blade on the right side of Seymour's neck. One clean swipe and this Guado would be a headless Guado.

"Release him," my guardian ordered quietly. That meant danger. Auron always got real quiet right before he snapped.

Seymour released his iron hold on my arm and allowed me to step back. I rubbed at my elbow, gently massaging the bones and muscles. I was going to have a bruise there later.

"I apologize, Tidus," Seymour said slowly, staring down into my eyes. "I did not mean to upset you by dismissing your possible death as if it were nothing. I just thought that if I had admitted that you continuing your pilgrimage would affect me, then you might feel like I was trying to stop you."

I stared up into his lavender eyes silently. He seemed honest and actually a bit sincere, and I think maybe even a bit… guilty?

"I accept your apology," I finally answered before standing up on my toes to look over his shoulder at my guardian. "Auron, it's okay now. You can put your sword away."

"Get over here," he ordered in return, not moving his blade.

Without complaint I moved around the Guado to stand by the older man's side. As soon as I was he pulled his blade away from Seymour's neck, and put it back in its usual place.

Seymour turned around to face us once he was safe again. He gave us both a courtly bow.

"My apologies, Sir Auron, for making you think I meant Tidus any harm. I promise that was not my intent."

Auron snorted. It was a new snort I had just noticed recently, and had finally categorized. It translated roughly into something like 'I pity the foo' that mess with mah summoner.'

"He understands," I said to Seymour since I knew Auron wouldn't say anything even remotely polite to him. "And I think it's time for us to all leave now. We have a lot to talk about."

Seymour nodded. "Of course. Tidus, I will await your favorable reply."

I nodded and began pushing Auron around the Guado and towards the exit with my other three guardians following us. We were just about out the door when Seymour had to go and open his big mouth again.

"Why are you still here, sir?" he asked.

Auron paused.

"I beg your pardon, Sir Auron. It's just that we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane…"

Underneath my hand Auron's arm stiffened. I looked up at his face and saw him clench his jaw tightly before stomping out. With one last look at Seymour's back, I hurried out after him with the rest of my friends.

* * *

"What was that?" Rikku shrieked at me once we were out of the manor and outside of Guadosalam back to where the Moonflow was. I needed some fresh air and Auron looked ready to kill something, so we all agreed to go back outside of the city where fresh air and fiends were available to all.

I collapsed on the grass under a thick tree. Rikku stood over me on my right while Belgemine gracefully sat down next to me on my left. Gatta stood near Belgemine and Auron was standing in front of me a few feet away. Even from this distance I could see that he was still pretty tense.

"Tidus?" Belgemine's cool hand touched my arm gently; wordlessly expressing her concern.

"He asked me to marry him," I said dully, rubbing my forehead.

"Who? Seymour?" asked Rikku.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Rikku let out a gasp/shriek hybrid noise while Belgemine sucked in a sudden breath. I saw Auron's head snap up.

"Why?" asked Gatta, the only rational one. He didn't seem surprised by my admission; just curious and a bit confused.

"Because it would be good for the people of Spira. Something about giving them hope and something to look forward to," I explained, shrugging.

"A human summoner and the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change," admitted Belgemine, putting the dots together rather quickly.

"But… why now? Why _you_?" Rikku questioned.

"Because… he likes me. At least, that's what he said. I don't know why now though. I sort of walked out before we could get that far."

"We noticed," snickered Gatta.

Belgemine gave him a sharp look that made him sober up quickly. "It's not funny. This is a very serious matter. Tidus might be marrying one of the most powerful men in all of Spira."

"He's a maester, not a god," I reminded my teacher, rolling my eyes.

She shook her head in disagreement. "Here in Spira it practically means the same thing. Tidus… Seymour Guado is a young, charismatic, powerful man who holds a lot of influence over Spira. And now he has chosen you to share all of that with. Do you understand what that means?"

"Yeah. Now when I want donuts they'll be free," I said with a straight face before cracking up. I couldn't help it. I always had a bad habit of laughing during serious moments.

"Tidus! This is serious! It's not a joke!" Belgemine scolded, her gentle face settling into a scowl.

"I know it is! I know! I just… agghh!" I stood up and walked away from the group. "I can't think right now, Bel! It's too much! I need to take a break!"

"Where are you going?" called Rikku.

"Swimming!" I yelled back, stalking across the road to where I could see the river.

"What?" That was Belgemine.

"I think he said swimming." Gatta.

"I heard what he said, Gatta. I want to know why!" Belgemine again.

"He needs time to absorb what's just happened. Don't worry; I'll watch over him. You three go back inside and try and see if that O'aka merchant is around. We need more antidotes." Auron, my hero.

When I got to the Moonflow River I stripped down to my pants, left all my clothes, sword, and bag in a messy pile, and jumped in. The river wasn't the ocean but it was still water. That was good enough for me.

I think I did about thirty laps before the information about earlier finally began to sink in. Seymour—Anima's emo son—wanted me to marry him. Me! Tidus! The guy from a thousand years ago who was being ordered to defeat Sin once and for all. He wanted to spend the rest of his _life_ with only _me_. It was so hard to comprehend.

Eventually I began to get tired and cold so I had to get out of the water. Auron was sitting on the bank waiting for me with my stuff in a neat pile next to him. He was sharpening one of his many blades.

"Feel better?" he asked when I sat down next to him.

I groaned and shook my head. "No. I still don't know what to do."

"It's not that hard. Either marry him or don't. It's up to you."

"But marriage is such a big thing! How can I make such a decision so casually?"

"You don't. You think about it until you think you know what you want to do, and then you act on it."

I sighed and pulled my legs up so I could wrap my arms around them, and rest my chin on my knees. "But I don't know him. How can I marry someone I barely know? Someone I don't even love?"

Auron paused and looked up at me. "Do you want to hear a story?"

"Depends. Is it about my old man?"

"No. It's about me."

I was surprised. Auron rarely spoke about his past. I think this was the first time he ever voluntarily offered to tell me something about him. "Really? Okay then."

"Very well. Ten years ago I was a devoted warrior monk of Bevelle, well-regarded by Yevon's upper echelons, and being groomed for a high-ranking position within the clergy."

"Wait, wait, you were a warrior monk? When was this?"

"Didn't you hear me? Ten years ago. I was twenty-five."

"Riiight. Okay, go on."

"Thank you. Well in order to achieve that high-ranking position within the clergy I was told I would have to marry the high priest's daughter. When I was told that I refused. I could not marry a woman I did not love, did not even know. My personal convictions would just not allow it."

"Whoa. So, you were in a position just like mine then," I said slowly, awed by the similarity between our two situations.

Auron nodded, going back to sharpening his sword. "Exactly. And despite the pressure on me and the disapproval I would receive for refusing the offer, I knew that it was still _my_ choice to make."

"And do you regret it? Not marrying that woman?" I asked.

He paused again to give me a bored look. "What do you think?"

I grinned. That was all I needed to hear.

After that Auron and I went back to Guadosalam to where the others were waiting near the entrance for us.

"Feel better?" Rikku asked when she saw us, sucking on some sort of yellow candy.

I nodded. "Yeah. Still don't know what I should do though. But at least I'm thinking about it now instead of ignoring it."

"I don't think you should marry him. He seems a little _too_ perfect if ya know what I mean," she advised.

"You're an Al Bhed; what do you know about maesters?" retorted Gatta, rolling his eyes.

She blew him a raspberry in response.

"Tidus, I think you should do it. Maester Seymour is a good man who wants the best for all of Spira. He would be a good partner for you," Gatta told me, making a swipe at Rikku, who ducked.

"Gatta is correct," agreed Belgemine, speaking up for the first time. "The maester would be a good match for you, but…"

"What? He's too old for me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

She shook her head and glanced at Auron before glancing back at me. "You don't love him. You don't even know him that well. How can we ask you to devote your life to a man you don't love?"

We were all quiet after that. Belgemine made a good point with her comment. It was one that had been weighing heavily on my own mind too.

How could I marry someone I don't love?

* * *

Three hours and forty-seven minutes later and I still hadn't come to a decision.

I had been pacing around in circles, driving all my guardians crazy until they all finally ganged up on me and told me to get lost. Well, okay maybe not quite in those words. They 'suggested' that I explore Guadosalam with Gatta accompanying me since he lost the coin toss.

What a fine bunch of guardians I have, huh?

Guadosalam wasn't that big but it was complex. There were about three layers to it that intertwined in a bunch of confusing ways. It didn't help that the place and the Guado all looked the same to me.

"Where are we now?" I huffed, looking around the road we were on.

Gatta shrugged. "I don't know. I think the top floor. I don't recognize that Guado over there."

I looked to the wizened Guado he pointed at standing guard to some tunnel, and walked over to talk to him. "Excuse me, but where are we?"

"You are in front of the entrance to the Farplane," he answered, looking at me oddly.

"Farplane?" I repeated before realization set in. "Ohhh, that's right. The Guado are protectors of the Farplane, or something like that, right?"

"Yes. We Guado protect the Farplane so the dead can rest in peace," the guard explained. "Visitors are allowed to enter whenever they wish. We just ask that you remember that the Farplane is sacrosanct. Proper decorum, please."

"Will do," I promised him, turning to Gatta and waving him over. "Hey, let's go to the Farplane. I want to check it out."

Gatta mutely followed me down the tunnel and to the stairs that led up to a glowing membrane. As we got closer to it, he admitted softly, "I've never been to the Farplane before. I'm kind of scared."

"I've never been there either," I said, giving him an encouraging smile. "So I'm a bit nervous too. But if you want, then you can hold my hand."

"I'm not _that_ scared."

I laughed as together we walked through the swirling mirror onto a rocky platform. I slowly turned around; taking in the view at all angles. There was nothing around but yellow clouds. I walked over towards the edge and looked down and nearly passed out.

"Holy shit!"

Below the floating rock we were standing on were incandescent gardens with the biggest waterfalls I had ever seen surrounding them. Even as high as I was, I could still see the clouds of pyreflies swarming around the gardens and falls below.

I gulped and quickly backed away from the edge, feeling queasy and shaky. I wasn't afraid of high places but this… this wasn't normal. This place was _too_ unreal for me.

"G-Gatta," I called, looking around for my friend. I spotted him off to the side talking to…

"Wakka?"

"Hey!" The ex-blitzball star waved at me with Lulu standing by his side. She gave me a nod of acknowledgment.

"Hey," I greeted, walking over to them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Yuna wanted to pay her respect to her parents," answered Lulu, pointing to where the brunette summoner was standing farther away with Kimahri, looking up at an image of a happy couple.

"Oh. You guys caught up to us pretty fast," I commented.

"I think our little detour yesterday had something to do with that," Gatta muttered, giving me a pointed look.

I ignored him. "So you guys here to see someone too?"

"Well… I was going to pay Chappu a visit," Wakka admitted, looking off at the clouds. As if on command, a ghostly image of a young man bearing a strong similarity to Wakka and myself appeared.

"Is that… Chappu?" I asked.

Gatta nodded. "Yeah. That's him."

Wakka walked over to the edge of the platform and gave a low bow. "Yo, Chappu! Meant to come see you earlier, but I got held up, ya? Sorry. I know you won't hold it against me though. I gave up the game. I'm a guardian from here on, you know? And you said I'd never get the balls to do it! Hah! Showed you!"

He straightened up and gave his dead brother a sad but loving smile. "You know, I met this guy a little bit back who looks a lot like you. Seeing him, I thought, maybe… you were still alive somewhere, ya? But, then again, here you are on the Farplane. Guess your place is here.

"So, how you been? Oh, that guy I just told you 'bout, I gave him your sword. He likes it. I figure you wouldn't mind 'cause he's a summoner and he needs all the protection he can get, ya? Oh, and guess what? Yuna finally became a summoner. She started her pilgrimage and…"

I stopped listening after that. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment for Wakka between him and his baby brother.

I turned to look down at Lulu. She was staring at the image of Chappu with more emotion on her face than I had seen so far.

"He is dead, and I am still alive," she murmured. "Coming here really makes that clear. I should focus more on what I have to do now." She paused for a moment and then laughed. "Oh, I'm not even sure what I'm saying."

"I think you mean it's time for you to leave Chappu behind. I'm sure he was a great guy, but there'll be others," I told her, trying to sound like I knew what the hell I was saying.

"Hmm… it's a possibility," she agreed, looking thoughtful.

"How about…Wakka?" I offered, glancing at the redhead.

Lulu stared at me like I was a complete moron. "What, me? With Wakka?"

"Yeah, you two get along great!"

"Getting along isn't enough. Not even close."

"It's not?"

She gave me a flat look. "No. It's not."

"Oh." I glanced around awkwardly, and just noticed that we were missing someone. "Hey, where'd Gatta go?"

"Over there to see Luzzu," she said, pointing with her chin at the living Crusader staring at the dead one. "Don't tell me you didn't notice until now."

I laughed and scratched the back of my head. "Guess I was distracted. Think I should leave him there?"

"Maybe for a little while. Let him mourn a bit before dragging him away. In the meantime go say hello to Yuna. She was worried about you when she found out you left without telling her yesterday."

"Right." I nodded and made my way over to the female summoner who looked like she was just finishing up her talk with her parents.

"Hey, stranger," I greeted, stopping beside her.

Yuna's head snapped towards me in surprise. "Oh! Tidus! I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd be in the Thunder Plains by now."

"We had some business we had to take care of here," I explained, lacing my fingers together behind my head. "So are these your parents? They look real happy together."

"Yes. This is my mother and father," Yuna said proudly, folding her hands together in front of her elegantly.

"I see." Yuna's father I recognized—Braska had the kind of face you just don't forget—and her mother looked obviously like an Al Bhed. She had the tan skin, blond hair, spiral green eyes, and a smile that reminded me both of Yuna and (strangely enough) Rikku.

"Your mother… what happened to her?" I asked, looking back at my friend.

"She was killed by Sin shortly after I was born," she explained calmly. "She was traveling to mend the ties with her family when her ship was attacked. I barely remember her."

"Oh. Sorry."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I heard a lot about her from my father before he died. What about your mother? What was she like?"

"My mother?" I repeated, blinking. The moment I thought of her the well-known image of a woman with light brown hair and a stunning smile materialized in front of me.

I sucked in a quick breath and took a step back. "Ah… mom?"

Yuna gasped, covering her mouth with her petite hands.

"I-It's her!" And it was. From her well-worn shoes to her wind-swept hair, the perfect image of my mother stared back at me with the same blue eyes I always saw when I looked in a mirror.

"She's very pretty," Yuna complimented quietly.

I shook my head. "This doesn't make sense. No one ever performed a sending for her."

"She must've accepted death while she was still alive," she explained.

I clenched my fists together. Accepted death? Yeah, that sounded like her.

"She died because of him you know," I said, still staring at my mom. "When Jecht disappeared, she just lost the will to live. I remember, when she got sick, the old lady next door told me that when a lovebird dies, the one left behind… it just gives up living so it can join its mate. It was just like that."

"Is that why you are angry at Sir Jecht? Because your mother…" she trailed off, leaving the rest of her sentence unfinished but obvious.

_Because your mother loved him more?_

I think that was what I hated most about Jecht. His nasty words and drinking habits pissed me off greatly, but the unconditional love and devotion that everyone, even my own mom, gave to him even after he supposedly died is what really got to me.

Maybe that's what kept my hate for him alive. The constant reminder that everyone loved and preferred him over me. Like a festering wound, it kept eating away at me even after he was gone. It never healed. Sometimes I don't think it ever will.

"Your parents…" I turned to look at Yuna, just remembering that she was there. "They must have loved each other a lot then. For your mother to die without him."

"Yeah. I guess." I never really thought very deeply about my parents' marriage. The only thing I really focused on was that mom loved Jecht more. However, now that I had my own marriage proposal on the table, I began to think about it a bit more.

Jecht was a drunk who flirted and—as much as I hate to admit it—got along with everyone he met. Despite that though I could never remember seeing or hearing him with another woman (or man. With Jecht that was always a possibility). He was completely loyal to my mom, and she was, of course, the same way.

So they loved each other and were loyal to one another. From what I could remember they got along most of the time too. So was that what marriage was all about? A selfish, sort of slavish devotion to one person that you put above the rest of the world? And when that person dies, do you give up and die too regardless of the people who still need you?

No. No, how could I do _that_? How could I _live_ like that? If _that_ was what marriage was about then I wanted nothing to do with it!

"I can't marry him," I said out loud, feeling like I just had the Ultimate Epiphany. "I can't marry him!"

"What?" Yuna stared at me like she was seriously questioning my sanity.

"I gotta tell Seymour I can't marry him," I explained to her quickly. "Gatta! Gatta, come on! I've come to a decision about the marriage proposal!"

"You have?" Gatta asked, wandering over to me. His looked a bit teary-eyed but was all in all okay. I was relieved. I didn't like seeing him sad.

"Yeah. Come on; let's go tell the others." I waved goodbye to the still stupefied Yuna and yelled a farewell to the rest before dragging Gatta out of the Farplane and down the steps. We were nearly at the end when the screams started.

"Lord Jyscal?"

"It's Lord Jyscal!"

We turned around and gasped. The image of an elderly Guado dressed in elaborate robes was stumbling down the stairs in a swirling mess of pyreflies.

"Oooooohhh," the creature moaned pitifully.

"Is that really Lord Jyscal? I thought he was sent!" gasped Gatta, unconsciously grabbing the bottom edge of my shirt.

"Should… Should I send him? I mean, if he's already dead…" I trailed off, unsure.

"Yeah. He doesn't belong here," he agreed nervously.

I nodded and walked a bit forward to perform the sending. I tried not to hesitate so I wouldn't screw it up. Somehow I managed to send Jyscal back to the Farplane, but I noticed that once he disappeared a strange sphere was dropped in his place. When I saw it I quickly picked it up before anyone else noticed. I don't know why, but I figured it must've been important for him to bring it here.

Once I had it I turned around to face the shaken Gatta. "I think it's time to leave."

* * *

We found the rest of our companions waiting for us in front of Seymour's manor. Once together, we recounted to them our incident with Jyscal, and they were just as puzzled and disturbed by it as we were.

"He must have been sent once… but he stayed on Spira. Something, a powerful emotion must have bound him to this world," theorized Belgemine, rubbing her chin in thought.

"That's against the rules, isn't it?" asked Rikku, looking confused.

Auron nodded. "It means he died an unclean death."

"But it's been days since he died. Why would he come back from the Farplane so much later?" asked Gatta.

"What bound him… it must be some deep regret or unsolved issue that haunted him even after life," suggested Belgemine.

"Do you think he'll keep coming back until it's solved? I mean, I know I sent him, but he was sent once before and he still came back," I pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. Jyscal is the Guado's problem, not ours," Auron said in his 'don't start something that I'll have to finish' tone.

I ignored him and stood up. "I think it's time I tell Seymour my answer so we can leave."

"Maester Seymour left Guadosalam a short while ago," Belgemine told me before I could walk off. "They said he headed to Macalania Temple where he is the high priest."

High priest? Was there anything this guy didn't do?

"I don't get it. Why would the lord maester head off without telling us?" questioned Gatta.

Rikku shrugged. "Maybe he wasn't expecting an answer so soon."

He didn't look convinced.

"Well then, I guess we should get going," I hinted. "Do we need to get anything before we leave?"

"No. We're ready to go," answered Belgemine, rising gracefully. Gatta was immediately by her side.

"Alright then. Let's go!" I cheered, and we all headed to the cave that led down to the Thunder Plains. When we got there Rikku suddenly turned into a huddling mass of fear.

"Oh, no… we're here, we're here," she mumbled, cowering at a flash of lightning.

I couldn't blame her for being afraid. The Thunder Plains was a pretty scary sight. "How are we supposed to cross _that_?"

"See the lightning rod towers?" asked Belgemine, pointing to one of the many towers spread out across the vast, dark land. "The lightning is drawn to them… hopefully."

Great. That was comforting.

"We're supposed to head north while not straying too far from the towers," added Gatta.

"Meaning we should avoid wide, open areas," Belgemine translated.

Rikku squeaked and took a step back as another crack of lightning skidded across the sky. "I think I forgot something in Guadosalam."

Auron snorted. "Nice knowing you."

His sarcasm could always make any word sound like salt in a wound.

Rikku scowled at him. "Okay, okay! I'll go!"

And so we set off into the Thunder Plains.

* * *

The Thunder Plains was not a fun place to visit. I kept jumping every time there was a crack of lightening, and Rikku kept whimpering and screeching at every other sound. I made sure to walk between her and Auron just in case he snapped and cut her in half or something.

Along the way we ran into—to my eternal surprise—Shelinda making her way across the plains by herself. I wasn't too happy when I realized that.

"Shelinda!" I yelled out to her, ignoring Auron as he reached out to jerk me out of the way of another lightning bolt. I wasn't very good at timing when to dodge them so he kept doing it for me. "Hey, Shelinda!"

Somehow, she heard me over the noise and stopped near the tower she was by to wait for us to catch up.

"Tidus," she greeted cheerfully when we got to her. I noticed she seemed unusually perkier than normal. "I just heard the good news! I'm so happy for you!"

I stared at her in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Your marriage to Maester Seymour of course!" she cried, looking ready to hug me. I was relieved that she didn't. I might've lost an eye thanks to that pointy hat of hers.

Then I realized what she said and blanched. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From the Guado. They're telling everyone. They're all very excited!"

"Oh they are are they?" I seethed, a bit pissed. Hadn't they ever heard of privacy?

"Shelinda, listen: don't keep telling people about this, okay? I don't want them getting excited over nothing," I instructed her.

Shelinda looked confused and a bit disappointed. "You mean you're not getting married?"

"I haven't decided yet," I lied. Actually I had, but I didn't want to be the one to break the news to her that there wasn't going to be a wedding. She looked so damn giddy that I knew I would feel horrible about it. Better to let someone else take care of that.

_Wuss,_ Jecht sneered, disgusted.

I ignored the comment.

"Oh. Okay then. I'll keep quiet," she promised, still looking excited but to a lesser degree.

I nodded. "Thanks."

After that we went on. I wanted to take Shelinda with us since it didn't seem safe for her to travel alone, but she refused. She said she liked traveling alone since it gave her a sense of independence. I didn't get it but I didn't say anything. Girls were complicated enough as it was to me. No need to make it worse.

We walked a bit more before finally taking a break near one of Rin's Travel Agencies.

"Does the storm ever stop?" I complained, squatting down next to Auron to pull the end of his coat over my head to shield me from the rain.

"Nope. It's one of the mysteries of Spira. No one knows why it always storms here," replied Belgemine, wringing out some of the water from her dress.

"How did they build those towers in the first place?" Gatta asked, eyeing up the towers with lightning rods.

"A man named Bilghen built them using machina," she explained. "You probably never heard of him because our history books don't acknowledge him. He was an Al Bhed."

Auron and I both snorted. Of course.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Rikku began to giggle madly. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh…"

We all turned to stare at her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Gatta, looking like he wasn't sure if he should comfort her or runaway.

She just kept laughing. "Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh…"

"'Heh heh heh…' You're givin' me the creeps here, Rikku!" I told her, scowling.

Rikku cowered after another flash and then suddenly skittered towards me, startling everyone, and latching onto my right arm.

"Hey, whoa!"

"I wanna go home! I hate lightning! I hate thunder! Let's go rest over there! Please?" she whined, tightening her grip on my arm until she cut off the blood circulation.

"Didn't you hear Belgemine? This storm _never_ stops," Auron said with all the warmth and sympathy of a mortician breaking the news that dear Uncle Lester had actually been alive when he'd been buried.

Rikku faltered. "I know, but… just for a little while? Please?"

I sighed and looked up at my guardian. "Well? What now?"

Auron just shook his head, and began to walk away past the Agency with the other two following him. When she realized we were going on, Rikku freaked out even worse.

"Pretty please? Just for a few minutes? I'm scared of lightning! Let's rest, please? Pretty please? I'm too young to die! You're mean… cruel! Your moms would be ashamed of you! Are you having fun doing this to me?"

Auron finally gave in. "Fine, we rest. She's worse than the storm."

"Hear that, Rikku? We're going in. Come on," I told her, standing up and dragging her into the Agency. Once we were inside she relaxed enough to let go of my arm, but still jumped and squeaked at the lightening.

"Are you really that scared?" I asked, rubbing my arm to get the blood flowing again.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "Mm-hm. When I was little, a fiend attacked me while I was swimming at the beach. My brother tried to beat it back with a spell… but he missed and hit me instead! It was a Thunder spell—bzzzzzzt!"

I flinched. "Ouch!"

Rikku nodded grimly. "I've been scared of lightning ever since."

I felt bad for her after I heard that. Bad enough that I decided that maybe staying for a few hours wouldn't be so bad. I knew I was a bit tired myself. The fiends at the Thunder Plains were not as easy to take on as I previously thought.

"Let's stay here for a few hours," I told my guardians, regarding them all carefully. They looked like a bunch of drowned rats. "I think a small rest would be good for us."

Gatta and Belgemine looked relieved while Auron seemed like he didn't care either way.

"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Belgemine, walking over to the front desk. "I'll get us some rooms. It would be good to get dry again. I hate being wet."

The Agency didn't have many rooms available so we all had to share. Rikku refused to sleep alone and Gatta refused to leave Belgemine's side (I actually think he was a bit nervous about the lightning too) so Belgemine agreed to share a room with the two of them. That left the last room for Auron and me.

"What a day, what a day," I said, collapsing on one of the beds. "I feel like hammered shit. I think I feel worse than yesterday!"

"That would be a feat," Auron agreed, standing in front of the window and staring outside at the storm.

"How much longer does the stupid Thunder Plains go on?" I asked, folding my arms behind my head.

"A couple miles more before we hit the Macalania Woods," he replied.

"Great. Sooner we get to the temple sooner I can give Seymour my answer," I said cheerfully.

Auron turned from the window to finally look at me. "You sound excited about seeing him. Does this mean you're actually going to accept his proposal?"

"Nope. I'm turning him down flat," I replied, still cheerful. "After remembering my parents' marriage I realized there is no way I could ever go through the same thing."

My guardian was silent.

His silence made me kind of nervous. "What? Do you think I'm making the wrong choice?"

"No. I think your reason for refusing his proposal is wrong," he answered.

"What? Why?"

"Every marriage is different, Tidus. You can't assume that the relationship you have with him will be the same as the one your parents had."

I sat up and stared at him. "So, what, are you saying I should marry him?"

"I didn't say that—"

"You just said 'the relationship you have with him' like you expect something to happen between us!"

"That's because something already has!" he yelled, finally raising his voice.

"What? What the hell have you been smoking? There's nothing between us! I barely know the guy!"

"Then why…" He stopped suddenly and shook his head. "Never mind. Forget it. Forget everything I just said. It doesn't matter. Marry him or don't marry him. I don't care."

"What?" I gawked at him, irritated and confused over his words. Why couldn't he just say what was on his mind? "Auron, don't walk away from this. Tell me what you were about to say!"

"It doesn't matter. This whole marriage deal doesn't matter. All that matters is that I keep my promise to Jecht, and make sure you don't die!" he shouted, losing his temper.

I froze. "What? What promise?"

Auron didn't answer.

"Auron, what promise? What did you promise my old man?" I demanded, feeling my body tense up.

"I promised Jecht I would watch over you. That's why I came to Zanarkand. That's why I stayed all those years," he answered honestly, not looking at me.

I felt like someone had just punched me in the chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't feel. I couldn't even _think_.

Auron still wouldn't look at me. Without another word, he walked out of the room. I could only watch him go, feeling like the world's biggest fool.

I always knew of the saying 'The truth hurts,' but I didn't think it would be like this. There was a physical throb in my chest that ached as bad as a knife wound. Then, slowly, the acid feelings of resentment, loss, anger and bitterness filled the gash in my chest. I had never felt such pain in my life.

The person who was the foundation of my life—hell, who was the most _important_ person in my life—had just admitted that the only reason he even bothered with me was because he promised _Jecht_.

Jecht. It always came back to him didn't it? I went to an entirely new world and I still couldn't escape his shadow. Was there nothing in my life that _wasn't_ connected to the bastard?

I felt something wet on my cheek. I reached up to touch my face and realized the wetness was tears. I was crying. I was actually _crying_. Like I was a little kid again, getting teased or ignored by daddy and mommy.

I couldn't control the tears. They just kept coming and coming no matter how much I wanted to stop it. Soon they turned into shoulder-shaking sobs that I had to cover my mouth to keep from getting out.

It was a bit ironic, really. For the first time since Auron had entered my life, I was finally crying seriously again. And yet the reason… was all because of him.


	12. Part II: Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** II**:** C**hapter** S**ix

* * *

I fell asleep sometime during the hours I was crying. I don't know when but eventually my fatigue won out, and I finally slipped into unconsciousness. When I woke up I was still alone and it was still dark and stormy outside.

Mechanically, I got up and got ready to continue my journey. I tried to block out the memories of what happened earlier. I didn't want to face it so soon. Hell, I didn't want to face it at all.

**Ignoring your problems won't make them go away,** a deep voice advised me in my mind.

_Ixion,_ I acknowledged dully. _Can I help you?_

_**We**_** want to help you,** answered Valefor, sounding concerned.

_Who says I need help?_

**We can feel your pain like it is our own,** explained Anima, also showing up.

**It's irritating and distracting,** Ifrit added.

_Geeze, what is this, the Fayth Gathering? Don't you guys have other things to do other than bug me?_

**Not until two,** replied Ifrit. **So, hurry up and talk, boy. What's wrong with you?**

_Nothing. I just found out the person I trust the most in the world has been lying to me for the past ten years._

**Want to be a bit more specific, please?** Valefor requested.

So, with no other obvious option, I told them about the argument Auron and I had, and the effect it had on me. After Anima and Valefor immediately began to coo over me in concern while Ixion stayed quiet, and Ifrit began to crack jokes at my expense.

**I didn't know you were so sensitive, boy,** he sneered, sounding ready to laugh. **I guess coming to Spira did a worser number on you than we thought. I mean, not only did the Bahamut turn you into a summoner, but for some reason he also took away your vagina too.**

**Ifrit!** Anima cried, sounding exasperated. **Can't you be a bit more sensitive? He's just been through a devastating ordeal.**

**Bullshit. All he did was get into an argument with some guy who admitted that he started to watch over the kid because he promised his old man. What's so devastating about that?** Ifrit retorted.

**Ifrit is right,** said Ixion, finally speaking up again. **I don't believe there is any reason for you to get so upset yet. I think there is more to this situation than you are aware of. Perhaps you should speak to him again?**

_I don't want to,_ I said childishly. _I don't even want to look at him again._

**That's going to be kind of hard since he's your guardian,** noted Valefor.

I ignored her.

**You have to face him eventually, Tidus,** advised Anima. **I think Ixion is right. You need to talk to Auron. Get this straightened out. I'm sure he'll—**

_Enough!_ I yelled, finally sick of the conversation. _I don't want to talk about this anymore! I get you guys want to help me, but right now I just want to be alone. So, please, just go, okay?_

My aeons were quiet after that. And then one by one I felt their presences leave my mind until only Anima was left.

_Go away, Anima. I'll talk to you later._

**I will, it's just… Seymour. He proposed to you.**

Oh. Yeah. Seymour. The cause of the argument and my current mood. How could I have forgotten about _him_?

_Don't worry; I'll be turning him down,_ I assured her, pulling on my black hoodie. _I have no intention of spending the rest of my life with a guy I met only a week ago._

**That's not it. I mean, I'm glad you're turning him down, but I can't help but think that there's more to his proposal than what he said.**

I paused, and for the first time felt my depressed mood give away to confusion. _Wait, you mean he might be after something else?_

**Yes. I think he's planning something. Something that he needs your help with.**

_So… what, you want me to question him or something?_

**No, just… be careful when you meet him. And after you refuse him, leave and try and stay away from him, okay?**

_Will do,_ I promised, picking up my bag and heading out the door._ Well, I'll talk to you later then. After I feel better._

**Of course. And… Tidus?**

_Yeah?_

**Good luck.**

_Thanks?_ I answered, a bit puzzled by her words. I could only assume she meant with Seymour, but at the same time… I couldn't help but feel like she meant something more.

* * *

When I got to the front of the agency I found that Belgemine and Auron were already awake and there. Both looked at me when I entered, but I refused to meet their eyes. I knew if I looked at Belgemine then I would have to look at Auron, and I didn't want that.

I walked over to sit down on one of the chairs near the window. I leaned back and closed my eyes and tried to pretend that I was still sleepy. I figured that if Belgemine saw that I was sleepy then she wouldn't get suspicious about me ignoring them. Auron probably already knew the reason but I knew he wouldn't say anything to her.

I was sitting there for about ten minutes when I heard someone else enter the room. I didn't recognize the footsteps so I assumed it was a stranger, and just dismissed their presence. But then I heard the person speak.

"Sir Auron! I wonder if you remember me? Ten years ago, at the beginning of Lord Braska's Calm?"

I opened my eyes and saw that the new occupant was my Al Bhed friend Rin. He was standing in front of Auron with a small smile on his handsome face.

Auron nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, I should thank you."

"Not at all. I could not leave a wounded man to die. However, I was surprised when I saw you gone the next morning, with that wound. An ordinary man would not have been able to walk."

"I'd rather… drop that subject, Rin," Auron said, sounding a bit hesitant.

Rin raised an eyebrow but bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Auron nodded again and looked over Rin's shoulder straight at me. The moment he laid eyes on me I looked down at my hands, and tried to ignore his piercing gaze. Even with his glasses on, I could still feel him staring at me.

Eventually a sleepy and irritable Gatta came stumbling in with a still skittish, whining Rikku. As soon as she saw that everyone was present, Belgemine declared that it was time to leave, and marched us all out the door.

The walk through the rest of the Thunder Plains was a lot tenser than the day before. I thought maybe no one would notice the distance and silence between Auron and me, but I guess it was more obvious than I thought. Belgemine and Gatta kept shooting us both concerned and odd looks. Even Rikku came out of her little panic attacks to comment on the situation.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked, looking between us. "Did you guys get in a fight or something?"

Neither of us answered.

"Um, hello? Am I invisible or something? Hey, stop ignoring me!"

Auron stopped walking and turned to face the much smaller girl with his scary 'keep pushing me and see what happens, fool' look. "Shut. Up."

Rikku wisely stopped talking after that.

When we got to Macalania Woods we were all relieved since it meant we could take a break. Rikku immediately started hopping up and down in joy at being away from the thunder and lightning. Belgemine was pleased to be out of the rain, and even Gatta looked relieved.

I wish I could get as happy with a simple change of scenery.

Auron spent the entire break poking around a bunch of trees. We all watched him, curious and a bit confused.

"Hey, um, Auron? What are you doing?" asked Rikku, sitting on a log and with her elbows resting on her knees as a kind of perch for her chin.

"Looking for something. It is here… somewhere," he muttered, touching a fallen tree.

"What's here?" Gatta questioned.

"Something Tidus should see," he answered before hacking through the fallen tree, and walking down a trail. We all looked at each other before getting up and running after him.

Auron led us to a watery glade that, while was a pretty sweet view, didn't really seem all that special.

"This place… it's just water, isn't it?" said Rikku, kicking a stray rock into the water. She immediately regretted it when a giant amoeba rose from a pool.

"This is what spheres are made of. It absorbs and preserves people's memories," Auron explained, unsheathing his sword. "Unfortunately, fiends are also attracted to these places."

And that's how we got into yet another fiend battle. It started out difficult but then got a bit easier after we figured out that it absorbed all spells except its one weakness. After it was dead it dropped a familiar looking sphere. It looked nearly identical to the one I got from Jyscal.

Gatta whistled as he squatted down and inspected our prize. "Whoa, this is old! Don't know if you can play it back."

"Jecht left it here ten years ago," Auron explained, making the others gasp and me freeze up. "Play it back."

"R-Right." Gatta pressed the button and we all gathered around to watch the recording.

The image was scratchy at first before it cleared up into a perfect image. It showed Braska and a much younger Auron standing in front of a huge gate that led into an equally huge city.

"_What are you taking?" _Auron demanded, sounding irritated as he glared at the camera.

"_Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip," _answered a gravelly voice. I felt myself gasp. I knew that voice. It was Jecht. It was odd, hearing it again after so long. It made my stomach clench up into a bunch of knots.

"_We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So I thought I'd record it all in this. To show to my wife and kid, you know,"_ Jecht continued from behind the recorder.

"_This is no pleasure cruise!" _Auron growled.

Jecht ignored him and angled the camera at the summoner._ "Hey, Braska. Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying women?"_

"_This is it. Too many goodbyes—people think twice about leaving," _Braska explained, smiling sadly.

Jecht snorted. _"Hmp… if you say so. Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!"_

Braska chuckled._ "We should go. Day will break soon."_

The image died down to darkness before starting up again. This time it was of Jecht and Auron posing by a Travel Agency.

"_Auron, could you stand closer to him?" _requested Braska from behind the recorder.

Auron sighed and moved about an inch closer to Jecht, but kept his back to the camera.

"_Good," _came Braska's voice before the camera was tipped up to frame the Lake Macalania sign._ "That should do it."_

"_What's the matter? Afraid I might bite?" _Jecht teased, grinning at Auron.

The younger man looked ready to stab him._ "Jecht…"_

Jecht ignored him. He seemed to do that a lot._ "Braska! You should take one, too. It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!"_

Braska nodded, moving the camera with him._"I suppose."_

"_Lord Braska… we shouldn't be wasting our time like this!" _Auron cried. He looked like he didn't know if he should scream or cry.

"_What's the hurry, man?" _Jecht asked, digging his own grave.

Auron snapped._ "Let me tell you what the hurry is!"_

"_Auron!" _Braska cried in exasperation before the recording went dark.

I snorted. "What was he doing? He wasn't on some pleasure cruise."

Rikku shook her head, and tugged on my sleeve. "I think there's more."

She was right. The recording started up again. This time it was just Jecht sitting in the spring we were in.

"_Hey," _he greeted the camera, waving._ "If you're sitting there, watching this… it means you're stuck in Spira, like me. You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And… well, uh… never mind. I'm no good at these things."_

He stood up and approached the sphere to switch it off. Right before it went off there was one last bit with no one on-camera.

"_Anyways… I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye."_

The sphere went dark after that. The recording was finished.

Everyone was quiet after that. I don't think anyone knew what to say. I know I sure didn't. I didn't even know what to feel. Should I be happy that Jecht thought enough of me to leave something so revealing about him to me? Should I be sad that I missed out on knowing this hidden part of my old man? Or maybe… maybe I should be mad at him for screwing up the impression I had of him all these years.

"He sounded almost serious," I said, trying to be snarky and indifferent and failing wondrously. "But it was too late."

"He was serious. Jecht had already accepted his fate," Auron told me, speaking to me for the first time that day.

I looked at him and sneered. "His fate?"

He nodded. "Jecht… he… he was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures—to show them to you when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve… it happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

"So then, he gave up going home?" I asked, feeling surprised but at the same time not.

"That was his decision," Auron explained simply, looking down at the sphere Gatta still held.

I think… I understood. My old man… he knew he wouldn't find a way home, back to Zanarkand. He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't go on until he accepted it. Besides… even if he had found a way back… I don't think he would have left his friends behind before their journey was complete.

"All right! Let's get going, guys," I ordered, straightening up.

And maybe… maybe I had to start accepting my own fate too.

As we left the spring I lagged behind with Auron. I knew he had something to say, and if it had something to do with our fight then I wanted it to be private. No need to get the others upset.

"Wait," Auron called, totally proving me right.

I stopped and tried not to sigh. "What?"

"Jecht… he loved you."

"Oh, come on, please!" I said, feeling ready to laugh.

Auron shook his head. "He just didn't know how to express it, he said."

"Enough about my old man, okay?" I snapped, glaring at him.

He shrugged and walked past me. "I just thought you should know."

"Okay."

I watched him leave the spring and me alone. Once he was gone I finally said what I had been thinking the moment I saw the recording.

"Thanks."

* * *

The Macalania Woods was like a glittering blue maze where everything looked like it was made of ice and glass. It was probably one of the most beautiful forests I had ever seen. Of course the many strong fiends there kind of ruined the experience, but it was still pretty to look at it.

When we got to the end of the woods I was surprised to see a frozen lake with one of Rin's Travel Agencies off to the side. We stopped there to restock on supplies and get something to eat because Rikku kept whining how she was dying from hunger.

"I'm going to go change my clothes," I told my guardians, signaling to my ripped shirt courtesy of one of the fiends.

"You can use one of the rooms in the back," the female clerk behind the counter told me. "They're all free so pick any one you want."

"Thanks." I went through the door off to the right and down the hall until I got to the first room. I went inside and dropped my bag onto the bed and began rummaging through it for a clean shirt.

"Ah-ha!" I pulled out a wrinkled blue shirt that smelt relatively clean and put it on. After as I began putting everything back into my bag, I found something I had forgotten about.

"The sphere from Jyscal," I muttered, picking it up and examining it. Remembering how Gatta had turned it on, I pushed the small button on the side and activated the recording.

Immediately the image of Jyscal appeared. He looked old and run down and a bit desperate. There was a moment of silence before he finally began to speak.

"_What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed even to me, a maester ofYevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira. I will leave thisworld soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds. But whoever is watching this… I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son."_

The recording died out and Jyscal disappeared. The room was silent now with only my breathing filling it. The dead man's words echoed through my head like it was on repeat or something.

"_I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart..."_

"_He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners!"_

"_If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira…"_

"_I will leave thisworld soon, killed by my own son…"_

"_I implore you to stop Seymour!"_

"_Stop my son…"_

"Stop Seymour," I said out loud. "Stop Seymour. But… Anima…"

I still remembered Anima's words.

"_Free my son from the lies he has deluded himself with."_

"_Save him from what I could not."_

Stop him? Save him? Free him? Which one was I supposed to do? Were they all really so different? Or maybe… maybe they all meant the same thing.

I had to stop him so that I could free him which would save him. Suddenly Anima's and Jyscal's words made a lot more sense to me. I now had an idea what they wanted me to do.

The only question was, how was I supposed to do this?

Unfortunately, I could only come to one answer.

* * *

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

My guardians all turned to face me curiously as I stood in front of them outside in front of the agency. We were alone and about to head to the temple to see Seymour, so I knew now would be the only moment I had to tell them my decision.

"What's up?" chirped Rikku, folding up the sleeves of the coat she was borrowing from Belgemine. It was too cold for her usual skimpy outfits, and she didn't have anything else really warm with her so she had to borrow Belgemine's clothes. But since Belgemine was… bigger in certain areas, she looked really small and childish in them.

I took in a deep breath to steady myself, and then declared firmly: "I've decided to marry."

They all stared at me in a silent shock and disbelief that was finally broken by Belgemine's deep sigh.

"I was afraid of this," she said, shaking her head. "So what made you change your mind?"

"I just realized that I was being selfish by refusing to marry him just because I didn't love him," I lied calmly. "This marriage isn't about just us; it's about all of Spira. And I understand that now. This is the right thing to do."

"B-But, Tidus, that doesn't mean you have to give up your future just for Spira. Isn't it enough that you're willing to give your life just to defeat Sin?" asked Rikku, looking unsure.

I shook my head. "No. This… I have to do this. I just know it. Please, trust me on this."

The Al Bhed girl wilted and looked away, biting on her lower lip. Next to her, Gatta shifted uneasily. He obviously didn't know what to say about this.

Finally Auron stepped forward wearing a blank mask. "Tidus, is this about what happened last night? Did you change your mind because of our argument?"

"No, Auron, this has nothing to do with that," I answered honestly, ignoring the curious looks our friends were now wearing. "I… I decided this on my own. It's what _I_ want."

Auron turned away. "As you wish."

I flinched at his tone. It was completely cold and indifferent. I had never heard him use such a voice on me, ever. Even when I was seriously annoying him, or making him furious, he still never talked to me like _that_.

"Tidus," Gatta finally spoke up. I tore my eyes away from my first guardian to face the Crusader.

"Yes?"

"I don't know why you changed your mind, and I don't understand your reasoning that well. But I do know that I trust you so… you have my full support," he told me with a sincere face.

I felt something warm well up inside me at his words. "Thanks, Gatta. That means a lot to me."

He just shrugged and gave me an encouraging smile.

"Well, I don't like this idea, but I'm not gonna stop you. I trust you too after all," declared Rikku, hugging me around the waist. I chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Thanks, Rikku."

Belgemine wasn't about to be upstaged and also stepped forward with a steely look in her lovely eyes. "If it's what you really want then you also have my support."

I nodded. "Thank you, Belgemine."

Finally we all turned to Auron who still wouldn't look at me.

"Auron?" I asked quietly.

"Do as you want. It doesn't matter to me," he said in the same tone he used earlier.

The warm feeling I had from my guardians' support was now replaced by a wicked chill. I didn't understand why Auron was talking to me like that, but I did know that it hurt. Badly.

_Stop it, Tidus. Now is not the time to be getting all sensitive and crap. You have a job to do,_ I told myself firmly, trying to shake the feelings away. It didn't work too well.

"My lord!"

We all turned to see Tromell hurrying up the path towards us. When he did he stopped in front of me and bowed deeply. "My lord, we've been expecting you. We were surprised you decided to come so soon. Pleasantly surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice."

"It's fine," I said, giving him a strained smile.

Tromell glanced at me and then at my guardians nervously. "Well… we must follow Guado tradition. I'll have to ask your guardians to wait here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort them."

I nodded and turned to give my friends an encouraging smile. "Well, goodbye. I guess I'll see you all at the temple. I…"

"We're all with you. Do what you must," Belgemine said with her reassuring smile.

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

And so I left with Tromell to the Macalania Temple feeling a mix between nervousness and sadness. I knew what I had to do when I got there but… that didn't make it feel any easier. I was terrified I was going to screw up, or was making the wrong decision. I kind of wish I had told the others why I was _really_ planning to marry Seymour just in case things went wrong and I ended up biting the dust.

Or, you know, at least left a will behind.

* * *

The Macalania Temple was like a giant ice sculpture. Seriously. It was a wonder how they kept it from not melting or sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Seymour was busy when I got there so he couldn't see me right away. I was fine with that. It gave me the chance to visit the fayth there. The chamber turned out to be at the bottom of the temple, which was pretty cool because I had to go down this huge spiral path that was outside of the temple. It gave me the chance to look down at the lake below.

When I got to the chamber I was surprised by the statue of the fayth there. It looked like the back of a woman with her blue hair spread out like thick links of ropes with hoops at the end. Her skin was a light brown color and her bottom half made her look like she was part mermaid.

For some strange reason, at that moment, I was plagued by the desire to eat some sushi.

Anyway, after I studied the statue a bit I summoned the fayth forward. Like I expected, this fayth was a young woman who was probably around my age when she became a dreaming statue. She was dressed in similar robes that the Yevon priestesses wore, and had dark brown hair, a serious face, and turquoise eyes.

"Greetings, summoner," she said, her young voice ringing out strong and clear through the room. "I am the fayth of the aeon of ice and vengeance: Shiva. I—"

"Um, excuse me?" I interrupted Shiva before she could begin her 'I am fayth hear me roar!' speech. "I hate to interrupt, but I'm kind of in a hurry here. Can I just get your aeon and go? I promise I'll talk to you later if you want."

Shiva blinked at me a few times, looking torn between affronted and curious at having her speech interrupted. Finally she settled on the latter one. "Why are you in a hurry?"

"I have to try and trick this guy who wants to marry me into turning his life around from a creepy psychopath to a relatively normal person," I explained briefly.

"You're going to marry Ifrit?" she gasped in horror.

"What? No!" I cried, laughing. Now _there_ was a mental image I didn't need. "It's Seymour. You know, the head priest of your temple?"

"Ohhhh. Him." Shiva nodded in understanding. "Okay, I see where you're coming from. Very well. I will give you my aeon to aid you in your fight."

I smiled smugly. One more aeon down, three more to go.

After I got Shiva's aeon I made my way slowly back up to the top of the temple. As I exited the chamber of the fayth, I was met with a surprising sight. Seymour stood waiting with his guards facing my own guardians who all looked disgruntled. As the door slammed shut behind me, they all turned to face me.

"Wha…? What are you guys doing here?" I asked, hurrying over to my guardians.

"We saw Jyscal's sphere," answered Auron, staring at Seymour. "You killed him."

"What of it?" Seymour asked cockily. "Tidus, certainly you know of these things, did you not?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"Well then, why don't you tell us why you came here?" he asked, staring at me with hooded eyes.

I clenched my hands into fists, and took in a deep breath to steady myself. "I came here to stop you."

"I see. Well, come then. _Stop_ me, please." He held out a hand to me.

I backed away, shaking my head.

He sighed. "What a pity."

Seymour snapped his fingers, and his guards immediately started walking towards me. I only took a step back before my guardians closed ranks around me.

Seymour laughed. It was a horrible sound. It was the laugh of a man who was not in his right mind. "Ah, of course. 'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life.' The Code of the Guardian. How admirable. Well, if you're offering your lives, I will have to take them.

"Seymour, I promised your mother I would stop you no matter what. I always keep my promises," I told him, unsheathing Brotherhood.

"So be it," Seymour declared.

And the battle began.

* * *

Seymour was a bitch to fight. Not only did he have his little Guado guards backing him up, he also had a nearly unlimited amount of magic at his disposal. Oh, and of course we can't forget his aeons. I know he sure didn't. As soon as his guards were down he didn't wait for even a second before summoning Anima.

"Feel my pain! Come, Anima!"

Anima rose out of the floor like a monster from the underworld. She moaned and groaned in agony as she was forced to fight against us. It actually hurt me too to see her like that.

"Tidus! The new aeon!" Belgemine barked as soon as she saw the aeon.

I nodded. "Right!"

When I summoned Shiva I found I was in for a surprise. Her aeon was the most human looking of all the aeons I had seen so far. She looked like a very curvy, very busty woman with light-nearly white blue skin, and had patches of ice growing on her body. Her long blue hair was thick and done in dreadlocks, and her eyes were a piercing icy blue.

All in all, for an aeon, she was pretty hot.

Too bad she wasn't real.

"Shiva!" I yelled, clutching the white silk cloth she had thrown at me when she appeared. I had no idea what I was supposed to with it so I just held onto it. "Shiva, take out Anima!"

Shiva was a lot faster than Anima was so she had no trouble dodging her Pain attacks. Unfortunately though, physically she wasn't very strong so her kicks and punches didn't even make Anima flinch.

After a few minutes of watching this I realized we were getting nowhere. It was time for a different tactic.

"Shiva, use your magic!" I yelled to her.

My aeon did as advised and unleashed some nasty ice attacks that left Anima howling. I flinched when I heard her screams of pain, but I knew I had to go on. She had to be taken out.

"Shiva, your overdrive! Use it before Anima uses hers!" I commanded.

Shiva didn't hesitate. She unleashed an icy overdrive that froze Anima where she stood. I watched in a strange painful sort of satisfaction as Anima was frozen to death thanks to me.

Who knew watching someone else get hurt could hurt you too?

Seymour watched silently as the aeon of his mother sunk to the ground and then disappeared into pyreflies. When she was gone he turned to face me, and I was alarmed to see him smiling insanely. "That power that defeated Anima… it will be mine!"

Greaaat. I had just furthered his obsession with me. Smart, Tidus. Real smart.

With his guards and Anima gone, Seymour was a lot easier to fight now. The only defense he had left was his magic, which was easy to counter with our own. In a matter of minutes he crumpled to the ground, defeated.

When I saw him collapse I found myself rushing over to kneel down at his side. I don't know why. Maybe it was pity. Or maybe even guilt. Or maybe… maybe it was something else entirely.

"Tidus… you would pity me now?" he asked weakly, staring at me with piercing violet eyes.

"Well what more could I offer you now?" I retorted softly, touching his hand.

Seymour Guado laughed weakly at me before closing his eyes and going completely lifeless.

He was dead.

Before any of us could comprehend what we had just done, Tromell came rushing in with his attendants. "Lord Seymour! What happened here?"

"What… what have we done?" whispered Gatta, looking horrified.

"Wait a minute! It's not our fault at all! Seymour struck first! He's the bad guy!" cried Rikku.

Tromell looked at us in shock. "You did this?"

"Tidus. Send him," Auron ordered, ignoring the Guado.

"No, stop! Stay away from him, traitors!" Tromell yelled, moving to stand in front of Seymour with his arms stretched out protectively.

Behind him the attendants picked up Seymour's body and dragged him out. Tromell gave us all one last glare before following them.

"Traitors?" repeated Belgemine, sounding stunned.

"We're finished!" Gatta wailed in despair.

"Now hold on just a minute!" yelled Rikku, stomping her foot. "Seymour's the bad guy, right? We'll just explain to everyone what happened!"

"It won't be that easy," Auron disagreed, shaking his head. "Let's get out of here."

None of us were too eager to walk out of there and face the rest of the temple after what we had just done. But since there was no other way out we had no other choice but to go on. Silently, and with a heavy heart, we all left the chamber to face the crowd waiting for us on the other side.

"Please, give us a chance to explain," Belgemine pleaded before anyone else could say anything.

Tromell shook his head. "No need. I already know what I'll tell the other maesters.

Auron raised an eyebrow. "Meaning…?"

"Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before becoming a maester," he said simply, wearing a wicked smile.

I felt myself go numb. "You're not letting us go."

Tromell laughed. "Let you go? Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did."

"Wait, wait! Jyscal's sphere! We can show it to them!" said Rikku, tugging on Gatta's arm.

"You mean this?" Tromell held up Jyscal's sphere in one hand and then crushed it into little pieces.

"Hey!" Gatta yelled, looking stunned. I think we all were. That old bastard had just destroyed our only defense we had to justify our actions.

"The Guado take care of Guado affairs," he said simply, letting the broken bits of the sphere fall to the ground.

That goodness for Auron. Even in the midst of a crisis he still kept his head. As we all stood there gawking at the Guado, he bowled over a guard and charged. "Run!"

We did.

* * *

The Guado bastards were pretty fast and determined but we managed to get away from them and the temple and back to the lake next to Rin's agency. When we got there though we ran into a bit more of trouble. Mostly a giant fiend that wouldn't take a hint and get lost so we could continue running.

"Our luck cannot be this bad," I mumbled, summoning Ifrit. The fiend looked like it was fond of the cold so I figured fire would be a good weapon against it.

"It could be worse. We could also be fighting those Guado guys," Rikku pointed out, throwing a grenade at the monster.

I looked behind us and squinted until I could spot the little figures hurrying through the mountain pass towards us. "You mean those guys?"

Rikku and Gatta both turned to look at where I was pointing. When they saw the guards Rikku laughed nervously while Gatta groaned.

"Look what you did! You jinxed us!" he cried, smacking her lightly on the arm.

"Hey it's not my fault!" the Al Bhed girl protested, rubbing her arm. "I was just trying to be encouraging!"

I snorted while Gatta groaned again.

"I suppose it can't get much worse than this," he muttered.

Right after he said that the fiend we (or rather Auron, Belgemine and Ifrit) were fighting collapsed onto the ground, dead. The impact of its fall hit the ice so hard that it began to crack and break. Before we had a chance to run, the frozen lake beneath us collapsed and we all were falling down into the unknown.

Thanks for jinxing us Gatta.

* * *

Praise be to Yevon. That's what I would have said, if I was a follower of Yevon. We were all there, and in one piece. Even if I had a headache from wondering what was in store for us next, and the urge to vomit up my insides from the spectacular fall we had all just endured.

"Tidus!"

I looked up to find Belgemine sloshing through the calf-high water over to where I was sitting on a rock. I waved at her as she got closer. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" she asked, bending down to feel my forehead.

I nodded, batting her hand away. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Where are the others?"

"Scattered around. We're all alive though; that's the main thing. We've fallen a long way. I think we're under the lake," she mused, straightening up to look around. "Look. That's the bottom of the temple."

"I see it," I assured her, glancing around. "Hey, think you can call the others over here? I think it's time we talked about what happened."

Belgemine did as I asked, and soon I had all my guardians around me. I was relieved to see that other then looking a bit shaken and tired, they were all pretty much unharmed.

"So what were you trying to do back there?" Rikku asked, not beating around the bush. She nudged me a bit to move over so she could sit down next to me on the rock. I had no choice but to oblige.

"I wanted to confront Seymour about his father and all his other crimes," I answered once Rikku was seated. "I figured, if I could convince him to turn himself in, then maybe he would see the error of his ways, or something."

"In exchange for marriage?" guessed Belgemine.

I nodded. "Yeah, if that's what it took."

"So, what did Seymour say?"

"He didn't say anything. I didn't get the chance to ask him before you guys came rushing in to save me." Here I took a moment to give them all an exasperated look. "What were you guys trying to do anyway? How did you even get that sphere?"

"You left it behind at the agency," Gatta answered sheepishly. "We were all concerned over how weird you were being so we did some investigation and found it in the room you were in earlier."

"Oh." I tried to think back to what I did with the sphere and couldn't remember. I was so occupied with what I had just learned from it that I guess I just forgot about it. Whoops.

_Moron,_ scoffed Jecht's voice. For once I couldn't help but agree with him.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rikku, looking at all of us before focusing on Auron.

"Our immediate concern is the pilgrimage," he said, looking at me "Are you willing to go on?"

I nodded. "Yes. That's all that really matters anyway."

"But we're traitors who killed a maester now," pointed out Belgemine. "We can't just ignore that."

"Then what do you suggest me do? Turn ourselves into _Yevon's_ judgment?" Auron retorted in his 'asshole' voice.

"Umm, isn't that what we're supposed to do?" Gatta asked nervously, glancing back and forth between Belgemine and Auron.

The female summoner nodded. "Yes. We must go to Bevelle to speak with Maester Mika, and explain what has happened. There is no other way, I think."

Auron snorted dubiously.

I raised a hand and waved it until the two adults looked at me. "Hey, I'm not too sure about the rest of you, but shouldn't we just focus on getting out of this pit first?"

Rikku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, how are we gonna get out of here? I don't see any stairs around!"

No one had an answer.

We all scattered after that; each left to his or her own thoughts. Distantly in the background I could hear a woman's voice singing the same song I heard at every temple I had visited so far.

"Is that coming from the temple?" I asked Auron, who had not wandered far from me.

He nodded. "Yes, it is called the Hymn of the Fayth. It is supposedly Yevon's gift to the faithful." He was quiet for a moment before adding, "Jecht used to sing this song…"

"Yeah, over and over," I agreed, laughing. "But not this good, that's for sure."

"Another trait you share."

"Huh? What, were you listening?"

"Mmm." He glanced down at me over his glasses. "Are you pouting?"

"No," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm brooding."

"There's a difference?" he wondered.

"Yes. Pouting is what little thirteen-year-old girls do when they lose their cell phones. I am _brooding_; that's what adults do when they've been offended," I explained with a straight face.

My guardian stared at me for about ten seconds before finally laughing. When Auron laughed it wasn't loud or very noticeable, but I considered it memorable all the same. Probably because he so rarely did it.

I watched him until he was calm again. For once since our argument the night before, I finally felt comfortable around him again. And I wanted to _keep_ that peaceful air between us. I didn't want to be mad or hurt with Auron anymore. I wanted things to be normal again.

"Um, about last night…" I trailed off. I couldn't figure out what to say next.

Auron saved me by interrupting with his own apology. "Don't. I'm the one who should apologize to you. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you like that. And I also shouldn't have told you about my promise to Jecht like that. It was bad timing."

"Did you mean it? What you said, I mean. About only staying with me because of your promise?" I asked softly.

"No. True, I did originally begin watching over you because of my promise, but that's not why I stayed. I stayed because I wanted to," he answered in a gentle tone.

Hearing him assure me that he stayed because of _me_ made my insides feel so warm and fuzzy it was like I had swallowed a glass of sunshine, or something. It was a bit pathetic that such a simple sentence could make me so happy. I guess it just showed how much of an influence Auron had over me.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me. What were you so frustrated about last night—" I began only to be interrupted when Auron covered my mouth with his hand.

"Wait, listen," he ordered softly.

I did as he said. All I heard was silence. Oh, wait…

Rikku stood up and looked around confused. "Hmm?"

"The singing stopped," noted Belgemine, also standing.

The ground began to rumble and shake, throwing us all off balance.

"There's something here!" yelled Gatta.

"The ground!" Auron warned just as the ground splintered apart, and a great monster rose up beneath us.

Three guess who it was, and the first two don't count.

"Sin?" I yelled, more out of shock then in warning.

"The toxin! Watch out!" yelled someone else. I think it was Belgemine.

Everything went fuzzy after that. It was like I knew what was going on but at the same time I didn't. It was like being asleep and dreaming something so weird and bizarre that you just _know_ you're actually asleep and dreaming it.

Sin has a weird way of jumbling up reality like that for me.

I think though that it was that experience when I finally knew… that Sin really was my old man. For the first time, I finally had proof of it.

"The song… you were listening too, huh?"

_A dim image of Zanarkand, upside down._

"Zanarkand… you homesick, too?"

_Blitzballs lying scattered out on the deck of our boathouse._

"That's not your world anymore. You're Sin now."

_Me as a child sitting on the deck looking out at the city._

"Hey, I'm older now, you know?"

_Jecht standing in front of our door with his back facing me._

"I know. You want this to end. I'll find a way, old man. Promise."

* * *

**E**nd** o**f **P**art** II**:** S**ummoner


	13. Part III: Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art **III —** **S**avior

**P**art** III**:** C**hapter** O**ne

* * *

I woke up alone in an unknown desert next to an oasis.

I was not very happy when I woke up, but then I had no reason to be. I was lying on some very dry and hot sand with a scorching sun glaring down at me. When I groaned and rolled over to try and get away from the heat, I nearly landed face first into the oasis next to me.

What a great way to start the day, huh?

_Where am I?_ I wondered, sitting up and looking around. Other then the small body of water next to me, all I could see was sand, sand, sand and even more sand.

I sighed and looked down into the water next to me. I realized that was another way I knew Jecht was Sin. Every time after he kidnapped me for some father-son bonding he would drop me off in or near some form of water.

"You know, I wouldn't mind waking up next to a strip bar some time," I told the water. "But I forgive you, this time. Be good for a while, okay? Try not to destroy anything too important like Luca or Kilika or Besaid. But you're welcome to Guadosalam and Macalania!"

After my little reprimand I left the oasis to see if I could find anyone. I think I was wandering around that damn desert for about an hour before I finally ran into someone. Too bad that someone was a stranger.

"Hey!" I yelled, waving my hands in the air when I spotted the blurry figure of what looked like a man in the distance. When I saw him stop I began to run towards him in joy, nearly tripping over my feet as they sunk into the sand.

"Thank goodness I found you! I thought I was never going to see anyone ever again thanks to this damn desert!"

"Frana tet oui lusa vnus? Fyed—oui'na y cissuhan!" (1) the man said, making me freeze.

He was Al Bhed.

And, according to Rikku, the Al Bhed were collecting summoners.

I was a summoner.

"I'm gonna get kidnapped again aren't I?" I asked, watching the man pull out a walkie-talkie and handcuffs.

Yup. Definitely going to get kidnapped. Again.

Damn.

* * *

I was really getting sick of this whole Al Bhed capture-gig that kept happening to me. Four times in the space of one month. It must be a record. If not then I would love to meet the person who had beaten _that_.

At least this Al Bhed was a bit nicer to me than the ones I had met the first time. He had given me some water to drink before he had handcuffed me, and sat me on his little jeep-cart-thingy. After that he drove me to this huge desert fortress that he pointed at, and said, "Home."

"You're taking me to your home, huh?" I replied, scratching my cheek. "Great."

When we got there he took off the cuffs and gently but firmly led me inside the metal contraption. It looked a lot like the Al Bhed camp back in the Moonflow. I guess the Al Bhed aren't big on creativity.

My captor took me to a room located all the way in the back and deep inside the ground. There were guards standing at the door who moved away when we approached.

"Summoners' Sanctum," he told me, pressing the button to open the door and then gently pushed me inside. I had no choice but to go in.

I was met with a pleasant surprise when I did. Scattered around the room were three familiar summoners who all didn't look too surprised to see me.

"Yuna! Isaaru? Donna? What are you all doing here?"

"Oh joy, it's _you_. Like I wasn't surrounded by enough idiots," sneered Donna, being her usual sour self.

"Right back at you, bitch," I returned brightly, smiling widely when she scowled at me. She was a lot of fun to piss off. "How long have you guys been here?"

"Well, Donna and I have been here for two days. Yuna just arrived last night," answered Isaaru, smiling at me kindly.

I nodded, making my way over to sit down on the ground next to Yuna. She was huddled in a corner with her knees pulled up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them. "Hey, you okay?"

She nodded and gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Then why don't you go to sleep?"

"I'm too worried about my guardians. They have no idea where I am. They all must be so frantic," she said softly.

"I wish they would tell us why we're here and when we can leave," Donna grumbled, crossing her arms under her breasts. "I have a pilgrimage to finish, damnit!"

"Donna, please calm down," pleaded Isaaru. "I'm sure they'll let us go soon enough."

Donna snorted dubiously.

"Actually, I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon," I admitted with a sigh. "The Al Bhed are capturing any summoner they come across and keeping them locked up so they won't finish their pilgrimage."

"But why? Surly they must want Sin to be vanquished as much as we do," said Isaaru, looking confused.

"Isn't it obvious? It's because they hate Yevon," Donna said with a scowl.

I shook my head. "That's not it. They want Sin gone, but… they don't want summoners to keep dying to do it."

No one had anything to say to that.

I took the time to look around my newest prison. An iron room with no windows and only one door that was locked and guarded. Hmm, now isn't _this_ familiar?

**You know, you're reminding me more and more of a woman. Not only do you cry after little fights, but you also get captured over and over again like a little damsel in distress,** came Ifrit's voice from inside my head.

I bit back a groan. _Not now, you flamer. Can't you see I'm busy?_

**Doing what? Sucking up oxygen?**

_Trying to figure a way out of this place._

**I have a way. Summon me and I'll level the whole place for you.**

_I'm not letting you out to terrorize the Al Bhed, Ifrit,_ I deadpanned.

**Pussy,** he muttered.

I felt my headache from earlier beginning to return.

_Ifrit, seriously, why are you here? I know you get a kick out of torturing me, but do you think you can do it later?_

The fayth sighed deeply, surprising me. I had never heard him make that sound before.

**Boy, you're pretty dense. Can't you tell when someone is trying to cheer you up?**

_What are you, a sadist? How can insulting someone cheer them up?_

**It took your mind off your problems, right?**

I couldn't argue with that.

_You could have tried another tactic,_ I whined after a moment.

**Like what? I don't do sympathy or pity, boy.**

_Then just talk. You seem to do __**that**__ well enough._

**Talk? About what? The weather?**

_How about your life before you became a fayth? I know practically nothing about you._

**Me?** Ifrit sounded surprised, which made me beam.

I had managed to surprise _Ifrit_. My day was **made**.

_You were a Crusader, right? I thought I recognized the outfit I saw you wearing when we first met, but it wasn't until I saw Gatta and the others again did I remember what it stood for._

… **Yeah. I was a Crusader. And after that I was a guardian before I finally became a fayth.**

_Wow. Do you do windows too?_

**You're pushing it, boy.**

_Sorry. So, go on. Why did you decide to quit being a Crusader and decide to be a guardian? It can't be because the dental plan was better._

Ifrit snorted. **No, I became a guardian because I wanted to protect my childhood friend. He was so damn klutzy and so damn naïve that he needed someone to watch over his ass 24/7.**

_And you took that job on yourself. How sweet. So what happened to him?_

**Isn't it obvious? He died and I became a fayth. End of story. **

_Okay. But would you mind giving a little more detail there? Something to fill in the blanks of your story?_

**What's there to fill in?** Ifrit asked, playing stupid.

I rolled my eyes. _How about the name of your friend? And how he died? Oh, and maybe what made you decide to become a fayth?_

**Will you shut up if I tell you?**

_Yes._

**Fine. His name was Luc, he was killed because I couldn't protect him, and I became a fayth to make sure that would not happen again. Would you like to know the dates and exact time this all happened too? **

_No, that's okay. You can keep that bit of info to yourself. But I do have one more question for you. What was your name? When you were alive, I mean._

… **Deviner.**

_Deviner,_ I repeated, and smiled. It sounded almost like diviner. Ironic considering his aeon's appearance. _Okay. Thanks, Ifrit. I know it must've been hard for you to tell me all this—_

**Stop right there. You're getting a little **_**too**_** mushy on me, boy.**

_Aww, is someone embarrassed by his feelings?_ I cooed.

**That's it. I'm leaving. Goodbye.**

_He is embarrassed! The Great Demon Ifrit is embarrassed! The impossible has become possible!_

**Oh bite me!** snarled Ifrit before he retreated from my conscious. As I felt him slip away, I allowed myself to smile softly.

_Thanks, Ifrit. _

* * *

"Got any spades?"

"Go fish."

"Do you have any hearts?"

"Nope. Go fish."

"Hmm… got any diamonds?"

"Damnit! Why do you keep taking all of _my_ cards?"

"I'm not. I'm taking _my_ cards."

"Liar!"

"Children! Please, lower your voices or you'll wake Lady Yuna."

I glanced down at the brunette leaning against my side asleep with Isaaru's robe over her. She had finally fallen asleep about fifteen minutes ago. Seeing her peaceful face, I immediately lost the anger and irritation I had against Donna for stealing my cards.

"Right. Sorry."

"It's fine. Just talk softer. And, Donna, stop taunting him," Isaaru ordered in a 'do you _want_ a timeout?' kind of voice.

Donna rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll stop teasing the brat, happy? Now can we just get on with the game?"

We had been playing Go Fish for about an hour now. There really was nothing else to do in the Summoners' Sanctum beside talk or play cards. And since Donna couldn't have a proper conversation with a normal person without turning into super bitch, we all agreed that a card game would be best.

"So where did you guys get captured?" I asked, looking over my cards. Since Donna kept stealing my diamonds I was going to have to concentrate on getting the clubs.

"I was separated from my brothers at the Moonflow," answered Isaaru.

"And I was taken from Barthello when we were in the Macalania Woods," added Donna. "Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out where we are. If you two were kidnapped two days ago from those two places then we can't be that far from our guardians," I theorized. "So they'll probably be here soon, yeah?"

They both shrugged.

"Perhaps."

"Maybe."

"Your optimism and confidence is encouraging," I deadpanned.

Isaaru gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to believe that my brothers will find their way here and make it past all the Al Bhed to get to me."

"Exactly," Donna agreed, nodding. "Barthello is good, but he's not _that_ good."

"You guys should have a little more confidence in your guardians," I scolded gently. "They may not be the best but they're _yours_ so you should believe in them. I know I do."

"Easy for you to say. You have _Sir Auron_ as a guardian," pointed out Donna.

Isaaru chuckled. "She has a point."

"Okay, okay so I'll admit it: Auron is a damn good guardian. But that's not why I picked him. I picked him because I knew I could trust him to always be there for me. Isn't it the same with _your_ guardians?"

Isaaru and Donna exchanged one of those adult looks I could never decipher. It was the same look I had seen Auron and Belgemine share a few times. I didn't like those looks. They made me very aware of how much younger I really was compared to everyone else. Even Rikku had her moments where she seemed to be older than I was. They weren't often but they were still there.

The sound of yelling suddenly drew all of our attention to the door. We could hear shouts, running and then finally the chilling sound of magic and weapons clashing. The noises were so loud that it woke Yuna up with a jump.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking to me for an answer.

I could only shrug. "I don't know."

A loud scream made us all jump to our feet in a horrified panic. We all knew what that scream was. It was the scream of someone being killed.

There was a few seconds of silence before the door slammed open, starling us all. Three Al Bhed men came rushing in with frantic looks creasing their faces.

"What's going on?" Isaaru asked, stepping forward.

"We under attack," answered one of the men, loading his gun. His accent mangled the words horribly but we could still understand him.

"By who?" questioned Donna.

His answer made my heart stop.

"Guado."

* * *

The Guado were attacking the Al Bhed's home. I knew with the upmost certainty that the reason why was me. Somehow the bastards had managed to track me down and were now intent on dragging me back to pay for killing their 'glorious' leader.

When I realized that they were killing innocent Al Bhed just to get to me I knew I had to stop them. The only solution I could think of was revealing myself to them and letting them take me.

The Al Bhed had different ideas.

"Hu! Cdyo ehceta frana ed'c cyva!" cried one of the guards, pushing me back into the room when I tried to run past him. (2)

"But they're here for me!" I yelled, struggling to get past him.

He didn't understand me and just slammed the door shut. I could hear him locking it from the outside while the guards next to me locked it from the inside. We were completely sealed in.

"Damnit!" I cursed, kicking the steel door. "Let me out, you morons! They're here for me! Let me go so they'll leave you guys alone!"

"Tidus, they can't understand you," Isaaru reminded, placing a hand on my shoulder to pull me back. I went willingly.

"Damnit. All those people out there are dying because of me," I said, collapsing on the ground. I cradled my head in my hands and tried to keep the frustrated and guilty tears from falling.

"Tidus." Yuna's slender arm wrapped around my shoulders in silent support. I leaned against her, inhaling her sweet scent. She smelt like lavender, vanilla and something uniquely Yuna.

"This is my fault," I told her in a low tone. "The Guado are here for me."

"You don't know that for sure," she argued gently.

I shook my head. "No, I do. Seymour… I ki—"

I was interrupted in my confession by the door being blasted open. Yuna and I were thrown back with Isaaru, Donna and the guards.

"Oww," I hissed, rubbing my arm that I landed on. I sat up and looked around just in time to witness five Guado warriors shoot the Al Bhed guards.

"No!" I screamed but I was too late. The men who were protecting me and the others were dead. The Guado had murdered them for no reason other than to get to me.

"Lord Tidus I presume?" questioned one of the Guado bastards, stomping towards me. "I have been ordered to bring you back with me through any means necessary. That includes everything excluding death."

"No!" cried Yuna, latching onto my arm in panic. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"Remove her," the Guado ordered calmly, waving some of the other towards us.

"Don't you date touch her!" I spat, immediately linking my fingers together with hers. "If you do I swear I'll unleash all my aeons on your ass!"

The Guado narrowed his eyes at me calculatingly before finally making his decision. "Very well. We'll take them both."

* * *

They took us to Bevelle.

I didn't know this at first but when we were forced out of the (forbidden!) airship, and Yuna saw the buildings and gasped.

"Bevelle. We're in Bevelle," she whispered to me as were marched into a huge ornate building.

I was surprised. "Really? Why would they bring us here?"

We could only wonder.

Halfway through our parade of captors and captives they separated us. I, naturally, threw a fit and tried to argue but the Guado refused to listen. I'm proud to say though that it did end up taking three of them to drag me away from Yuna.

Finally they locked me in the most elaborate room I had ever seen in my life. It was huge with arched windows, a walk-in closet, and the biggest bathroom I had ever seen in my life. Everything was decorated in shades of blue, white marble, and light brown wood.

It was like being in a freaking hotel.

Once I got over my staring I immediately tried to find a way out. Unfortunately the door out and all the windows were locked up tight, and even the furniture was nailed down. I was completely locked in.

"Sneaky bastards," I muttered, tugging on the bedding to see if it was glued to the bed. I wouldn't put it past them to do something as weird as that.

"Comfortable?"

I spun around in surprise to see who had spoken. When I did I had a minor heart attack.

"Seymour?" I gasped, dropping onto the bed as my legs went out on me. "It's not possible…"

"Surprised?" Seymour—the very much _alive_ Seymour—asked smoothly as he closed the door behind him, and then glided calmly towards me like he hadn't just scrambled up my views of life and death.

"You're dead!" I cried, pointing at him. "I saw you die! I did, I know I did!"

"Hmm. True. I did die. But I'm afraid that even death wasn't enough to stop me," he explained calmly, stopping in front of me. He leaned down towards me and I leaned back onto the bed to get away from him.

"Why am I here?" I asked softly, staring into chilly silver eyes.

"Have you forgotten already?" he questioned silkily, reaching up a hand to trace my left cheekbone with two fingers. I shivered. His touch was like ice. "We are getting married."

"I'm not marrying you, Seymour. You're nuts if you think I am," I told him slowly so he Would Get It.

The half-breed chuckled like I had just cracked the funniest joke. "How cute. You're still under the impression that you have a choice here," here his voice deepened and darkened as he said, "you don't."

I glared at him vehemently. "I. Am. Not. Marrying. You."

"Then I'm afraid that the dear Lady Yuna will not be with us for much longer," he said, pulling back from his leery pose with a fake melancholy sigh.

My blood heated up. "What? You… You _bastard_! You stay away from her you hear me? You touch her and I swear I'll—"

Cold, cold dead lips silenced mine in a hard kiss. I found my eyes staring only centimeters from hooded silver orbs while steel fingers dug into my biceps, yanking me up until my toes barely graced the ground.

It took my brain a few seconds to catch up with what was going on. Seymour was kissing me. Seymour—_dead man_—was kissing—_exchanging saliva_—with me. My mind just Did Not Compute.

About ten seconds later he pulled away with a soft smack. He smiled down at my dazed self in obvious amusement, and something else that looked suspiciously like lust. Gently he released me, and I fell back onto the bed in a boneless heap.

"Wha…? Why did you…?"

"I apologize. I'm afraid I just couldn't stop myself. Seeing your eyes come alive with such passionate anger… you just looked too beautiful to resist," Seymour explained calmly.

"But… why?"

"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? I want you."

"Oh."

You know, if the world planned on throwing anymore imponderables at me, I kind of wished it would damn well give me a warning first.

Seymour smoothly turned around and stalked over to the door. "Our wedding will be starting in seven hours. I suggest you use that time to catch up on some sleep. You look like you need it."

"Wait," I called, snapping out of my daze. "Wait, where's Yuna? Can't you let me stay with her? Please?"

The maester paused and seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging. "Very well. I'll have her escorted here with you. Consider it an early _wedding_ gift."

_Gee, how kind of you,_ I thought, rubbing at my mouth with the sleeve of my hoodie. I didn't appreciate being kissed without permission, especially by a guy I didn't even like.

At least he kept his promises. Not ten minutes later Yuna was shoved roughly into the room with me. As soon as she fell to the ground the door slammed shut behind her and was locked again.

"Yuna!" I yelled, getting up from the bed and rushing to help her up. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Mm-hm. I'm fine. They didn't hurt me."

That was good. If she had been hurt I honestly would have released all my aeons on the place, Seymour be damned.

"How about you? Are you all right?" Yuna asked, scanning me.

"Yeah, I'm fine if you ignore the fact that my mouth was violated and I'm being blackmailed into marriage," I replied dully, turning around to trudge back to the bed.

"What?"

With a heavy sigh, I signaled Yuna to come join me on the bed and began to tell her the whole story starting from Guadosalam to now.

At the end of it Yuna only had one thing to say: "Wow."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Wow? Is that all you have to say?"

"I think I'm still in shock," she admitted, blinking a few times. "One of my friends just told me he killed a maester because he murdered his father. And now he's an unsent and he's forcing you to marry him by using me as a bargaining piece."

"Yeah, I guess that would be a bit hard for someone to comprehend all at once," I admitted, thinking it over.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked me after a few minutes of silence between us.

I snorted. "What do you think? I gotta marry him of course. I won't let him hurt you, Yuna. Promise."

Yuna reached out and took my hand into her dainty one, and laced our fingers together. It was a silent thank you that expressed that expressed her gratitude, love and friendship better than any words ever could.

* * *

A couple hours and a few games of I Spy later the door was finally opened, and someone was let in. When I saw who it was, I was stunned.

"Shelinda? What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, staring at the petite acolyte as she walked in carrying a bundle of white and blue clothes.

"I'm here to help you get dressed," she answered cheerfully, unraveling the wedding robes for me to see. "Isn't it beautiful? I'm sure you'll look very handsome in it."

She was right. The robes were made from the softest and finest cloth I had ever seen, and the designs of leaves, birds, bamboo and other nature shit sewn into it were so carefully detailed they looked real. Even the white and blue coloring and the gold sash looked vibrant and alive. It would probably look amazing on anyone, even me.

I twitched as goose bumps appeared on my flesh. "I am _not_ wearing that."

Shelinda looked greatly disappointed. "Why not? Don't you like it?"

"They're too girly," I explained simply. "Plus, I'm not about to get all dressed up for a marriage I don't even want."

Shelinda looked confused. "What are you talking about? Don't you want to marry Maester Seymour?"

That's when I realized she had no idea about what was really going on. And that's when an idea hit me.

I began to tell her the same story I had told Yuna earlier, and even though she was horrified and stunned, Shelinda still hesitantly believed me.

"I can't believe Maester Seymour could be so…" Shelinda couldn't even find the words to describe Seymour's actions.

I nodded sympathetically. "I know. It's hard to take in."

I waited a few minutes for her to compose herself before finally speaking up about the idea I had. "Hey, Shelinda? Now that you know what's going on can you help get Yuna out of here?"

Both women reacted at my request.

"What?"

"Tidus!"

I held up my hands to stall their protests. "Listen, listen! Seymour is using Yuna to make me marry him. If she's not here then he has no way to force me into marriage."

"You don't know that," protested Yuna, shaking her head. "Without my life in the balance he may just threaten yours."

"He's not going to kill me," I said confidently. "He needs me alive for whatever he's planning. I can't say the same for you though. That's why you and Shelinda need to get out of here."

"But how? There are guards standing right outside your door," Shelinda pointed out.

I smirked and picked up the elaborate (and most likely expensive) vase sitting on a table nearby. "Leave that to me. I'll take them out and then you two get out of here. Agreed?"

Yuna and Shelinda exchanged uneasy looks but still nodded. With their consent, I got up and headed to the door. I waited for the girls to come up behind me before I threw the door open and immediately smashed the vase on the head of guard standing off to the left. He fell to the ground, out cold. With one down I went after the other. He had a gun already aimed at me but I wasn't scared. I grabbed it and began to grapple with him over it.

"Go, now! Get out of here!" I yelled to Shelinda and Yuna.

"Come, this way, Lady Yuna," gasped Shelinda, grabbing Yuna's hand and dragging her away. I saw the summoner glance over her shoulder at me hesitantly before they turned a corner and disappeared.

Another guard heard the racket and came to help by grabbing me from behind. With my arms pinned to my sides, I had no choice but to use my legs. So I leaned back into the guy behind me, pulled up my legs, and kicked the guard I had been grappling with in the chest.

He fell back along with the guy holding me. Since the man holding me fell on his back, I landed on top of him. I'm sure my extra weight made quite an impact.

Eventually more guards came and they managed to subdue me. I was okay with it though because by then Yuna and Shelinda were long gone, and no one but the two unconscious guards knew that. By the time they figured it all out the girls would be safe.

_Mission accomplished._

* * *

Seymour was not amused when he discovered what I had pulled.

"You are a fool," he told me in a cold voice.

I shrugged and then flinched when it pulled at a bruised muscle. The nun healing me immediately focused on curing my back.

"You had to know I wasn't going to give in so easily," I answered, giving him a 'duh' look.

Seymour glared at me. I don't think he was used to having his orders disobeyed.

I glared right back at him. If he thought I was going to roll over and play along with whatever he wanted then he had another thing coming.

"You can't make me marry you now," I told him, wincing when the nun 'accidently' jabbed another bruise on my lower back. I had a feeling she didn't like the way I was talking to Seymour. "Your bargaining chip is gone so I suggest you go cancel the wedding. Oh, and good luck getting your catering deposit back."

Seymour gritted his teeth, looking like he was trying to count from ten backwards. I thought that was kind of insulting. With me you have to at least start from twenty.

"Leave us," he finally ordered the nun, who quickly did as told. As soon as she was gone I quickly got up and moved back so that there was a table between us. Just to be safe.

"You seem to think this is a game," he hissed at me, silver eyes narrowed into slits. "I can assure you it's not. I have been lenient with you so far but if you continue to push me—"

"You'll do what?" I interrupted loudly. "Beat me? Threaten the people I care about some more? Or how about kill me?"

"Don't tempt me," he snarled.

I scoffed. "I'm not afraid of you, Seymour. I'm not one of your lackeys that obey your every command. And I'm not some gullible Yevonite who worships you and believes you can do no wrong. And I sure as hell am not a possession of yours that you can manipulate at will. I'm a person, damnit!"

After my speech I stood there trying to calm down and get my temper under control. When I did I finally decided it was time to do what I originally planned to do back at Macalania Temple.

"If I were to marry you, what would happen then?" I probed.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"I mean, why do you really want to marry me? What are your _real_ plans for Spira?"

Seymour smirked, and I took a step back. I did not like what that smirk meant.

"I am going to save all of Spira," he said with probably the most honest emotion in his voice that I had heard so far. "I'm going to save it by destroying it."

"Uhh, I'm not following the thought process here," I told him honestly. "How exactly is destroying Spira going to save it?

"Death is a sweet slumber, Tidus," he explained with real passion in his tone. "All the pain of life is gently swept away… ah, yes. So you see… if all life were to end on Spira, all suffering would end."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"That is where you come in," he answered, striding up to me to take my hand in his. Now that he was closer I noticed his eyes had returned to their original lavender color. For a moment I wondered if all Guado's eyes changed colors, or if Seymour was just a special case being a half-breed. "Come with me to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. With death on our side, we will save Spira, and for this… I will take from you your strength, Tidus, your life, and become the next Sin. I will destroy Spira! I will save it!"

I shook my head in disagreement. "You're not making a change, Seymour. If you go through with your plans and become the next Sin then you're just continuing the cycle."

Seymour's eyes dimmed and turned back into the cold silver they were earlier. He released my hand and turned around and began to head for the door. "Fool. You don't understand anything but what you were taught. But in the end you will see that I am right."

"I don't get you! Why are you so obsessed with saving Spira? Is it… is it because of what happened to Anima?" I asked in frustration. "Because of it is then you're just being stupid!"

He spun around to face me with flashing eyes. "Do not speak of her! You have _no idea_ what it was like to watch the person you _love _more than_ anything_ die for a world that hated us both! And then forced to live on with those very people and the father you _despise_; the father who condemned the mother you loved to death!"

"Yes I do!" I yelled back. "I know _exactly_ what it's like for your mom to choose death over you! When my old man went missing my mom decided she had nothing left to live for. She didn't even _care_ that she had a young son who still needed his mom! She just went and died and left me alone! At least _your_ mom cared enough to be willing to die _for_ you!

"And you know what else? Even after her death, Anima still only thinks about _you_, still worries over _you_, still loves_ you_! She mourns over leaving you alone when you were still young, and bears the guilt every moment of her life. I should know since I can _feel_ it every time I speak to her. Hell, even your _father_ loved you enough that he was willing to let you kill him just to repent for what he did to you. And even after you _murdered_ him he still couldn't rest in peace because he was too worried over _you._ I can't even imagine _my_ old man doing something like that because all he ever treated me with was disappointment. So don't go preaching to me about how hard it was growing up without a mom and a dad you hate because I can top you dead, hateful parent for dead, hateful parent!"

At the end of my outburst I was breathing hard and struggling to reel in my emotions. Seymour just stared at me with an unrecognizable look on his face.

Finally, after I was calm again and realizing what I had just revealed to my captor, did he finally react. And I gotta say, it was probably the last thing I thought he would do.

He smiled.

It wasn't his creepy, leery smile or one of his fake-ass ones either. It was his honest 'I do have a heart you know' smile. It unnerved me to see that smile on his face at such a time.

I tried not to flinch when he began to walk back towards me. When he stopped in front of me, I looked up at him cautiously, debating whether or not to step back in case he decided to take a swing at me.

Seymour didn't give me a chance to. Before I could react, he reached out and pulled me into a tight yet awkward hug. I automatically froze up because, seriously, who would expect _Seymour_ of all people to start giving out hugs? But after a few seconds—when I was sure he wasn't trying to suffocate me—I relaxed, and allowed him to smush me up against his cold, steel chest. I didn't return the hug though. I wasn't _that_ comfortable with him.

After awhile he finally released me and slid his hands up to grasp my shoulders tightly. He stared down at me and I stared back, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry," he finally said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry for believing you to be like one of _them_. You are not. You are like me. I think you were even made _for_ me. The perfect partner to help me save Spira. Tidus, this is our destiny."

I wanted to shake my head; to deny that my fate was to help him become the new Sin. But I found I couldn't. There was a glow of hope in his now violet eyes that made my heart swell with pity and sympathy for this deranged man.

So I said nothing, and just allowed him to hug me again.

I don't think there was anything I could say anyway.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

**1)** "Where did you come from? Wait—you're a summoner!"

**2)** "No! Stay inside where it's safe!"


	14. Part III: Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** III**:** C**hapter** T**wo

* * *

I was dressed in a wedding robe. An elaborate wedding robe for my (forced) marriage to Maester Seymour Guado.

I. Was. _Not._ Happy.

I glared at all the cheerful attendants around me; just daring them to _try_ and congratulate me or compliment me. They all seemed to sense the killer aura I was emitting and took another few steps away from me, each shuddering.

I was sitting in a foyer waiting for the wedding to start, which would be in about thirty minutes. There were guards at both entries and set around the room. Seymour wasn't taking any chances with me. He was determined to keep me here.

It was pretty wise of him. If there weren't so many guards and innocent (if not annoying) attendants there I would have already summoned, or tried to fight my way out of there.

It was just reaching the point where I was actually considering knocking myself out just to stall the wedding some more when my Savior walked through the door.

"Kelk!" I cried joyfully, jumping to my feet and rushing up to the old Ronso to hug him around the waist tightly.

"So it is you," greeted Kelk, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and placing his other furry hand on my head. "When I heard Maester Seymour was to wed a summoner named Tidus, I had a hunch it might be you."

"Oh, kitty, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!" I gushed, ready to start hopping up and down like a little kid high on sugar.

"I think I can make a guess," he replied, prying me off of him effortlessly. He looked me up and down a few times before finally focusing on my face with a frown. "You are dressed for a grand wedding yet I see no joy or excitement in your face. Why is that?"

"I'd be more than happy to tell you," I said while waving a hand around at the people around us, "but only in private. Can you get rid of the peanut gallery for a moment?"

Kelk didn't hesitate. "All of you; leave us."

"But, sir, we have specific orders from Maester Seymour not to leave—" one of the guards began to protest.

"Then stand outside the doors and wait," barked Kelk, showing me for the first time his scary maester side.

The guard wilted and hesitantly nodded in agreement. As soon as he and the rest shuffled out, Kelk turned back to me with a serious expression.

"Now speak. And please don't leave anything out," he ordered.

I didn't. I told him everything about Seymour and what he was trying to pull. As I told him the story, his expression grew more and more strained. At the end of it he actually had to sit down to compose himself.

"This is very disturbing news, Tidus," he told me in a weary voice. "I knew that there was some corruption in the church, but to think it would extend as far as murder and deceit… it is no wonder Sin still exists."

I patted him on the arm in sympathy. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. There are still good people in the church, Kelk. People who want to save Spira from Sin."

"Like you," he agreed, giving me the same warm smile he had shared that first time I had met him. "You never told me you were a summoner when we met."

"It's your own fault for not asking," I replied shamelessly.

Kelk's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Oh, of course. It's _my_ fault for not guessing your life's calling. How silly of me to think otherwise."

"It's okay, kitty. I know you're getting up there in the years; it's perfectly natural you begin to lose your mind," I played along with the straightest face I could muster.

"Good thing I have you here to keep me grounded," he agreed before suddenly turning serious. "But enough jokes. We have a serious problem here. You do not wish to marry Seymour, correct?"

"Hell no."

"He also cannot be allowed to do as he pleases any longer," he continued. "So I will not allow him to force you into a marriage you obviously don't want."

"Aww, thanks."

"I can't directly help you escape St. Bevelle Palace. It would cause too much trouble and add more strife to the church. But I can help you get on the road _to_ escape."

"How?"

"By getting you out of this room and to the temple."

Kelk stood up and walked over to a statue of a really ugly bird on the other side of the room. To my eternal surprise, he began to push the statue off to the side to reveal a small hole in the wall.

"Whoa! Is that a freaking secret passageway?" I crowed, getting up and joining him by the new doorway.

"Of a sorts. It is a passage that leads straight to the temple. It was built after Sin destroyed the palace for the second time some seven hundred years ago. It was a way to help summoners get to the fayth quickly incase Sin attacked again," Kelk explained.

I whistled, peering into the dark hall with narrowed eyes. "And are you sure it's safe?"

"No, but at this point do you have any other choice?" he pointed out.

I couldn't argue with that. "Then I guess I should leave before my 'fiancé' gets back to drag me to my funeral."

"I'll try to hold him off as long as possible," promised Kelk with a fierce light in his old eyes.

That did it. Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed my furry friend as tightly as possible while trying to express even stronger emotions. "Thank you, kitty. You have no idea how much you saved me with this."

Kelk only chuckled and hugged me back just as tightly, and with just as much feeling.

* * *

Exploring a forgotten secret passage is not as wonderful as it sounds. It was actually a dirty, hot and a bit of a scary affair. The path was pitch-black and very hot because of the lack of air, and filled with dust and bugs. I had no idea how long I was scrambling through that tunnel, or even when the end would come. I had to just keep going until I literally spotted the light at the end of the tunnel.

Oh the sheer joy I felt when I was finally out of that damn tomb-tunnel. It was probably the happiest I felt in a long time. Or at least before the whole kidnapping-blackmailed-wedding-shebang started.

It turns out that the tunnel led directly to the Chamber of the Fayth underneath the palace. The statue of the fayth was of a man with a huge scaly and feathery wing sprouting out of the right side of his back. I couldn't figure out if that meant his aeon was a bird or a bat.

I was in for one hell of a surprise though when I summoned the fayth forward though. It was a (_very_ familiar!) little boy wearing a purple hoodie and baggy black pants with a lot of red and yellow belts.

"You!" I yelled, pointing at the ghostly kid. "You're the little brat from my dreams! The one who started all of this crap!"

The boy cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. I was suddenly strongly reminded of that kid from the movie 'The Grudge.' "Are you still mad about that? I thought you would be over it by now."

Okay, he was right. I was over the whole going-to-Spira-becoming-a-summoner-to-stop-Sin thing, but it was the principle of the matter. He did not ask my permission therefore he needed to be bitched at. End of story.

"You could have at least asked before you pulled such a stunt," I snarled, crossing my arms. "Do you have any idea what it was like being thrown into a new life a thousand years into the future while being separated from the only person I knew? And then told to save said world because my old man is the one destroying it? Do you know how I felt when I learned that? Huh?"

The boy blinked at me. "No. But would it help if I say I only chose you because I trust you can do it?"

I considered his offer for a moment. "Say you're sorry first and then I'll consider forgiving you."

"I'm sorry," apologized the boy.

"And I accept your apology," I said, nodding and closing the subject and moving on. "So do you have an aeon for me or what?"

"Yes. But first allow me to introduce myself properly to you," said the kid, bowing slightly at the waist. "I am Bahamut, the oldest of all the fayth. I was also the one who chose you to save us."

"I'd say thank you for that but I'm not," I answered dryly. "So how about that aeon? I'm kinda in a rush here. There's this guy trying to force me to marry him, and when he finds out I ran away he's going to come after me."

"Oh the drama," snickered Bahamut, raising a hand to create a navy blue ball of light that he threw at me. "Catch!"

I rolled my eyes as the aeon ball hit me in the chest and granted me the power over the aeon Bahamut. As soon as the ball hit me the fayth boy disappeared in a flash of light, and I was alone once more.

With Bahamut's power now mine, I immediately headed to the door and peaked outside to see no one was there. Relieved, I closed it again and begin to immediately pull off the heavy outer robe of my wedding outfit (wearing it was like walking around in a damn oven) so that I was now dressed in the smaller and slimmer blue and black inner robe. The robe was still very elaborate looking than the average person's clothes, but at least this way I wouldn't stand out as much as I would in the other one.

After that I wiped my face clean of the sweat and dust I got from my journey through the secret passageway, and then escaped from the chamber and the palace of Bevelle.

Bevelle was a huge, bustling city with crowds of people walking in the streets. It was just like Zanarkand was so I got out of it pretty easily. I made it just in time too because as soon as I was five steps through the gate the guards were closing up the city. I guess Seymour finally found out I was gone.

Finally free, I followed the road from the city back to Macalania Woods where I could finally figure out where to go next. From what I could remember Belgemine telling me, I was supposed to head to the Calm Lands after I got the aeon at Bevelle. But since I had no idea where the hell that was, I could only head back to the road I was familiar with and try and find my way from there.

I was in luck when I got to the crossroad. There was an old couple passing by who pointed me in the right direction and that's where I headed. I could only hope my guardians would figure out that I was continuing my pilgrimage, and would meet me on the way.

I got to the Calm Lands right as the sun was beginning to set. Since I didn't fancy becoming fiend food I immediately began to seek out a place to camp for the night. Unfortunately the Calm Lands was mostly a huge plane of land with only one agency settled out in the middle of it. Since there was no way I was going to get there before the sun set, I had to set my sights on a place closer.

"Rin should build another agency here," I muttered to myself as I scouted out the area. No matter where I looked though I couldn't spot a hut, a cave, or even a freaking hole!

_I'm going to die out here!_ I wailed mentally in distress. _I'm going to die here and my body will be eaten by fiends so no one will know what happened to me, and Sin will keep living and summoners will keep dying, and Spira will be stuck in an endless spiral of death forever—but most importantly, __**I'm**__ going to die!_

**By Yevon, you're like a broken record,** scoffed a female's voice in my head. It took me a few seconds to connect the voice to a name since that was the first time I had heard it in my mind before.

_Shiva,_ I acknowledged, calming down a little bit. _What do you want?_

**To help you find a safe place to rest so you'll stop whining in my ear,** she replied. **Do you want to hear it?**

_No, I want to spend the night with the insects on the itchy grass out in the open with the murderous fiends,_ I answered sarcastically. _Of course I want to hear it!_

**You know, if you're going to be a little smartass then I'm not going to help you.**

_I'm sorry. It's just… it's been a long day for me, and I just want it to end already._

**I suppose I can understand that. You have had a pretty rough day,** Shiva mused. **Okay, I forgive you. Now onto the place I mentioned earlier. Near here there is a temple called Remiem Temple. It's empty and old but still a good place to rest for the night.**

_And it's nearby?_

**Yes. It's just straight down the path. I'll guide you there.**

I let out a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Shiva. You have no idea how relieved I am._

Shiva let out a soprano laugh. **Oh, I think I could guess.**

* * *

Remiem Temple was probably the biggest temple I had come across in Spira so far. It looked more like a city than a temple. It was shaped a lot like a giant beehive and set in the center of a hidden valley with a bunch of trails and bridges leading to it. Once I looked closer though I could spot the signs—the crumbling bricks, the fading paint, the broken bridges, and the wild chocobos running around—that it was abandoned.

I wasn't bothered by any of this though. I was just happy I had found a safe place to finally rest. A place where I could finally sleep in peace where I didn't have to worry about fiends, Sin or Seymour creeping up on my ass.

And I mean that literally by the way.

The inside of the temple was just one big circular room with two doors; one that led out and the other was locked up so I didn't know where it led to. Since there was no furniture there I had to sleep on the ground with just my clothes to keep me warm.

I was lucky. I fell asleep quickly so I didn't have time to despair over my situation. If I had any dreams that night I didn't remember them when I woke up. All I really remember was closing my eyes for a moment and then suddenly opening them as someone shook me gently on the shoulder while calling my name. When I opened them it was to the sight of Auron kneeling next to me.

"Tidus?" he questioned in concern. "Are you awake?"

"Auron?" I said groggily, blinking my eyes a few times until my sight was clear. "Where…? Wha…? Am I dreaming?"

"No. I'm really here," he assured, smiling down at me crookedly.

Seeing him—real, alive and _here_—made something in me snap, and do something I had never done before.

I hugged Auron.

I actually threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. Unsurprisingly, he caught me without problem though he did seem shocked by my behavior. However he didn't push me away; he actually hugged me back, even if it was a bit awkwardly.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," I mumbled into his shoulder, inhaling the scent of burnt cinnamon, fire and gunpowder. What the hell had he been rolling around in? "How did you even find me here?"

"The summoners told us what happened to you, and then the Al Bhed agreed to help us find you with their airship," he explained, patting me slightly on the back. He clearly had no idea where he was supposed to put his hands.

"Are you okay? Did Seymour… did he do anything to you?" Auron asked.

I laughed hollowly. "You mean besides kidnapping me, kissing me, and trying to force me to marry him by threatening to kill Yuna? Nah, he pretty much left me alone."

I felt him tense and try to pull back to look at me, but I refused to let go of him. If I did then he might disappear and I would be all alone again. I didn't want that. I didn't want to be alone again. All my life I had someone there to keep me company and protect me. Even my uncaring parents never really left me on my own. Being Seymour's captive was, for the first time in my life, a position where I was actually alone and vulnerable.

And I never wanted to be in that position ever again.

"Tidus," Auron said in exasperation when I refused to budge. "Brat, let go. I need to check to make sure you're unharmed."

"I am," I muttered, burying my face into his shoulder. "I'm fine. I got a few bruises but that's about it. I… I'm just so glad you're here."

There was a moment of silence and then I felt him sigh and then relax. He actually sat down and pulled me into his lap like I was a little kid. In this new position I could wrap my arms tighter around him so that now he really couldn't escape.

"Are you going to start crying into my chest now? Because if you are then I'm leaving you here," he said to me, leaning back slightly and bracing his weight on one hand.

I laughed and shook my head. "I'm not going to start crying. It… it's just such a great relief to know you're here. With Seymour I was alone and powerless against him. But with you here now I know that I'll be okay. I'm not alone anymore."

"Is that what you're so relieved about?" Auron snorted, tugging on my hair with his free hand. "Stupid boy. I thought you trusted me to always find you."

I blinked and pulled back to look him in the face. "You're right. I did say that before didn't I?"

He nodded, looking very bemused.

"And you did come," I continued, feeling my heart lighten. "And… and everything's alright now isn't it?"

"It is. Now are you ready to leave this place and see the others? They've been very worried about you."

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm good. Let's go."

"Great." He gently pushed me off, stood up, and then held out a hand to me. "Come on; the others are waiting for you outside."

I took his hand without thought and allowed him to pull me to my feet, and lead me out of the temple. In front of us, across the long bridge that connected the Remiem Temple to the outside world, resting on the ground, was a huge purple and pink airship. Standing next to it were three familiar figures: Belgemine, Gatta and Rikku. Each of them was wearing an anxious and weary look on his or her face.

But when they saw us their faces changed into ones of relief and joy. Belgemine clasped her hands together and begin to pray while Gatta waved both of his arms in the air, and Rikku cheered by jumping up and down.

"Hey!" I waved back at them and smiled as widely as I could. I allowed Auron to lead me over the bridge and back to my guardians who all welcomed me back with hugs, kisses and a scramble of words I couldn't understand. As I patted a sniffling Belgemine on the back, I looked over her head at Auron who stood a little bit away with a small smile on his face. Seeing him smile like that made me realize that everything really was okay now. That I was finally okay.

My friends were back and I wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

The airship that belonged to the Al Bhed turned out to be the same one I helped salvage back on that first day I came to Spira. Cid, the leader of the Al Bhed and commander of the ship, turned out to be not only Rikku's dad, but also Yuna's uncle. That was the main reason he agreed to help my guardians search for me in the first place. He found out that Yuna had been taken with me and was determined to save her. He wasn't too happy when he found out she wasn't with me anymore.

"Where the hell is she then?" he barked at me, glaring at me with the same eyes as Rikku.

I glared right back, not about to be intimidated by this guy, leader of the Al Bhed or not. "Safe, but I don't know where. I got her out of Bevelle before I left but I don't know where she went."

"Then how do you know she's safe?" he growled.

"Because I sent her with a friend that I trust," I growled back.

Cid sneered and turned around to start barking orders in Al Bhed at the people at the controls of the ship. I rolled my eyes and turned to Auron to ask, "Is he always this pleasant?"

"No. Sometimes he's actually rude," he replied dryly.

Since the airship was damaged on their escape from the Guado, the Al Bhed could only take us to the bottom of Mt. Gagazet before they had to leave for repairs. So that meant I got to spend thirty minutes with the wonderful Cid and his kidnapping brethren.

Yay.

Actually I didn't really have to spend a lot of time talking to Mr. Sunshine. My guardians refused to let me out of their sight, and pretty much demanded that I tell them every detail about what happened to me since I got separated from them. I did as they asked and told them everything. At the end of it, no one was very happy with what I had to say.

"He actually kissed you?" questioned Rikku, looking torn between disgust and curiosity. "Was it any good?"

Belgemine groaned, Auron stared at her like he was seriously considering throwing her off the ship, Gatta made gagging noises, and I just rolled my eyes. Trust Rikku to ask something like that.

"It actually wasn't much of a kiss. It was more like him very rudely shoving his lips on mine," I answered, wrinkling my nose.

"So he didn't use tongue or anything?" Rikku persisted.

"Can we please change the subject here?" interrupted Gatta, sounding ill.

"I second that," I agreed, raising my hand.

"Indeed. We should be focusing on more _important_ matters like what we should do next," said Belgemine, giving Rikku a dirty look.

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was obvious. We keep going to Zanarkand, right?"

"That is the main goal, yes, but we need to focus on the small ones too," she patiently explained to me. "When we get to the bottom of Mt. Gagazet I think we should make a stop at the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth."

"Cavern of the Stolen Fayth?" Rikku, Gatta and I repeated at the same time.

"What's that?" added Gatta before the rest of us could.

"Long ago a fayth was stolen from a temple and hidden away in a cave underneath the mountain," Belgemine lectured.

"What's a fayth doing in a place like that?" questioned Rikku.

"With no fayth, summoners cannot train. Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. Without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin. That is why," answered Auron from where he was leaning against the wall across from us.

Rikku brightened as she grasped the logic. "'Cause then the summoner won't die!"

Gatta nodded. "That must be what the thief was thinking."

"Didn't work too well if so many people know of it," I pointed out.

Auron shrugged. "They tried at least. We'll give them half credit for that much."

Belgemine rolled her eyes while the rest of us snickered. Now that we were up to date with each other and finally had our goals back on track, we all split up to do our own thing. Belgemine went to stock up on more supplies, Gatta went to explore the airship, and Rikku was having a serious talk with her brother and father. That left Auron and me alone in the room between the bridge and the rest of the ship.

"I found your sword you know," he told me after just sitting together in silence for a few minutes.

I perked up in surprised pleasure. "Seriously? Where?"

"Back at Bikanel Island. That was all I could find of yours though. The sand got the rest of your things," he said apologetically, pulling out Brotherhood from where it was attached to the back of his belt.

I cheered and scrambled up to take it from him and hug it to my chest. "Thanks, Auron! I honestly thought I lost it when Sin warped us from Macalania to that desert."

"That desert is called Bikanel Island," he informed me dryly.

"Yeah, like I would know that," I scorned, rolling my eyes and sitting down next to him. "I guess I should tell Belgemine I need a new bag, clothes and supplies then, huh?"

"I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that," he muttered. "The woman loves to shop."

I laughed. "She does doesn't she? I thought the reason she's always getting supplies is because she's so diligent, but now I think she just likes to buy stuff."

There was another moment of silence between us before I recalled something that made me gasp.

"Oh no! That means my flowers are gone!" I groaned, burying my face in my hands in despair. "Damnit!"

"They were just flowers, brat. You can always pick some more," Auron reminded me.

"But not like those," I protested, looking up at him. "Those were special! They were moonlilies that you gave me!"

He turned and looked down at me. "Why does it matter if I gave them to you or not?"

I felt my face begin to heat up. "Um, well, you see…"

"Yes?" he encouraged, leaning down slightly like he could hear me better.

"I… I…" My heart scrambled between embarrassment and anger before finally settling on something between the two. "Hey, why did _you_ give them to me in the first place? It can't be because I looked too pathetic to ignore."

Auron blinked at me in what I knew was surprise even if his face didn't change. "I gave you the flowers because… I wanted to see you smile."

Not it was my turn to play the blinking game as I tried to understand what he had just said.

_He gave me the flowers because… he wanted to see __**me**__ smile?_

_Huh?_

"Huh?"

"You haven't figured it out yet, have you?" Auron asked, shaking his head and laughing softly. "But then again, you were never very good at understanding the feelings of the people closes to you."

"Should I be insulted?" I questioned, mind still spinning in a confused loop. Where was he going with all this?

He shrugged, sliding down the wall so that he was now sitting next to me on the ground. "If you want. Personally, I've always liked that about you. That and your obnoxious perky attitude, eager willingness to befriend every person you meet, and idiotic ability to show kindness to people who don't deserve or want it."

"Auron… are you trying to make a point here?"

"I think I've already made it. You just keeping missing it."

"Fine. If I'm so blind and stupid then why don't you just come out and say what you mean instead of dancing around it like a cat with a mouse?"

"As you wish."

And that's when he kissed me.

Kissing Auron was a… interesting experience. His lips were chapped but cool and actually felt pretty nice. He didn't try to force himself on me like Seymour did so the kiss was a lot softer and simpler. It was also a bit ticklish since Auron had yet to shave in, like, forever.

But more powerful were the feelings in it. I felt more loved and safe in that single kiss than I ever did in my entire life. I never knew I could feel that way from something so simple.

When he pulled away I actually felt a flash of disappointment. I quickly shook that away and came back to my senses, and to the reality that Auron—_The Man Who Raised Me_—had just kissed me. On the lips.

I nearly keeled over in shock.

"What. Was. That?" I asked slowly and quietly because I couldn't get my brain to work any faster.

"That was a kiss. I think you got your first back when you were thirteen, remember? With that girl who lived down the street… what was her name again?"

"Trine," I answered without thinking. Then frowned and realized what he had just said. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"You bragged to me about it later that day," he reminded in his 'duh' voice.

"Oh. Right. I remember now." I took a moment to reflect back fondly on that day with Trine—an older brunette with very big… brown eyes—before returning to the now, and realizing what had just happened to me.

"You kissed me!" I yelled, finally getting over my shock. Now I was just confused. "Why?"

Auron shrugged casually like it was No Big Deal. "I'm a man of actions, not words. Words are too messy and easy to misread. Actions… actions are simple but can have so many meanings."

"And what _point_ were you trying to make with _that _little action?"

"That… I love you," he said slowly, sounding like he couldn't believe it himself.

My mind spun and then so did the floor. I heard Auron curse before he caught me and jerked me back up before my face could be introduced to the ground. I shook my head clear and blinked a few times until everything came back into focus.

"Thanks," I said when the world was one level again. "But you… what did you just… I mean… did you just say you love me?"

"Yes. And I don't mean as a friend, mentor or parental figure. But like a lover," he explained calmly. The guy didn't even blush when he said the last word. Was there nothing in this world that could faze him?

"How long?" The questioned tumbled out of my mouth before I could think about it.

"A little before we came to Spira. I didn't really acknowledge it until Seymour asked you to marry him." He gave me a crooked smirk that I refused to admit made my heart beat a little faster. "That's why I was so frustrated that night. I was angry and jealous with the idea of you marrying Seymour, and that just made me angrier because that meant I was letting my personal feelings get in the way. Feelings that I shouldn't even have in the first place."

I narrowed my eyes when I heard his last line. "Shouldn't have? Why? Is there something wrong with loving me?"

He snorted and shook his head. "Hardly. The reason I shouldn't have feelings for you is because you're the seventeen-year-old son of one of my best friends. Do you even have any idea what Jecht would do to me if he knew what I wanted to do to his precious little boy?"

I raised my brows skeptically. "I don't think he would really care about that kind of stuff."

"You don't know your father like I do. When we traveled together he told me how much he dreaded the day you would start dating because he couldn't bear to see you with anyone, girl or boy. He told me how he planned to scare all the girls away, and threaten every boy that came knocking. As far as he was concerned, no one would ever be good enough for his only child."

"He really said that?" I asked softly, feeling torn between a warm fluffy feeling and an icy sharp one.

"I've told you before; Jecht loved you. Even if he never showed it." Auron paused and reached up to cup my cheek with one gloved hand. "Just like me."

I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat, and tried to ignore how I was having such a hard time breathing. He had never had such an effect on me before, so why was my body acting like this _now_?

"You know, I swore to myself that I would never tell you about my true feelings because I didn't want to upset you, or possibly even lose you," he told me, leaning his face closer to mine. "But when you told me about what Seymour did and was going to do… I'm afraid I can't sit back and do nothing any longer."

My eyes widened as I realized he was going to kiss me again, and braced myself for it. (Un)fortunately the door that led to the rest of the ship snapped opened to emit Belgemine, the woman with the best(worse) timing ever.

When she saw us, she paused and stared down at both of us suspiciously. "What are you two doing?"

_Shall we lie? Yes, I think we shall._

"Talking. Just talking," I said, straining to both smile and sound casual.

Belgemine's narrowed her hazel eyes in a way that that made me cringe because I knew that meant she didn't buy what I just said. Auron saved us though by speaking up before she could.

"I was checking his temperature," he lied, nodding to me. "I think he might be a bit feverish from being awake for twenty-six hours."

Belgemine's suspicious expression melted into one of concern, and she immediately was kneeling down next to me and feeling my forehead. "Oh dear, you are a little warm. You need to sleep. Come on; I'll take you to one of the cabins so you can nap for a little while."

I nodded and allowed her to pull me up and lead me out of the room. Right before the door closed behind us, I looked back over my shoulder at Auron, and knew from the look on his face that our conversation was far from over.

* * *

We got to the gorge between the end of the Calm Lands and the beginning of Mt. Gagazet around early afternoon. Cid promised us he would come back for us later after the repairs but only if we promised to keep an eye out for Yuna. We agreed and they flew off leaving the five of us alone to continue our journey.

"Well, where's that cave you mentioned earlier, Bel?" I asked, hiking my new bag higher up on my shoulder. I told Belgemine about my lack of supplies and she immediately went and bought me a new bag, clothes and supplies. I didn't mind too much since it made her happy, and saved me a trip to O'aka.

"Down that path there," my teacher replied, pointing at the curved trail under the second bridge that led to Mt. Gagazet. "We can—"

"Halt!" yelled an unfamiliar voice, interrupting Belgemine from her explanation. We all looked to see two Guado appear and cross the first bridge towards us. Where the hell they had come from I could only wonder.

"Summons from Lord Seymour. Come with us!" the second Guado barked, looking pompous and way too proud to be playing the messenger boy.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Dude, you don't seriously think that just because you told us to come that we're actually going to listen, do you?"

The two Guado blinked at me in puzzlement. Apparently they did.

_Morons._

"Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed. You will come!" the first Guado ordered, regaining his composure.

"I warn you, the maester doesn't need you alive," threatened the second Guado.

My guardians and I exchanged surprised looks.

"Well that's a first," commented Rikku, scratching her cheek. "Guess that means he's getting fed up with us, huh?"

"Yeah. Weird, but for some reason knowing that makes me feel really good," mused Gatta, rubbing his chest. "Do you think I'm sick?"

"It sounds like you're channeling Auron," suggested Rikku.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"_Excuse me!"_ yelled the first Guado, sounding annoyed at being ignored. "But we're not here to listen to you all banter. Either come with us willingly or we'll drag you back in bags."

I snorted. "You know, that would be more threatening if you two actually looked capable of taking all of us on at once."

The two Guado grinned wickedly at us at the exact same time a large machina stomped up out of gorge. It looked like it was made of rocks and iron and would not go down very easily or willingly.

I felt my confidence take a sudden nosedive. "Uh-oh."

"What is that?" gasped Rikku, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Trouble," answered Auron, already cracking his knuckles and neck.

"How are we supposed to take down _that_?" Gatta questioned nervously.

"Hard work, a lot of luck, and a few prayers just in case," Belgemine replied, already casting protection spells on all of us.

"How inspiring," I muttered, unsheathing Brotherhood from my back.

* * *

Fighting the strange rock machine actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Once Auron broke through its physical and magical defenses, it pretty much crumbled to us. When the two Guado goons realized their trump card was down, they took off like a bunch of sissies.

I gotta say, if that was the best Seymour had to throw us then we were going to get to Zanarkand a lot quicker than I thought.

After that we went on down the trail to end up at an empty lot where a huge and dark cave loomed off to the side.

"Is that is?" questioned Rikku, examining the creepy cave curiously.

"Yes. This is the cave that will lead us to the fayth," answered Belgemine, pulling up the top of her dress so it wasn't drooping too far down her chest anymore. For a moment, I wondered if the women in Spira had bras. Considering the way things were, I seriously doubted it. But this would mean that women like Lulu and Belgemine were walking around with freely bouncing—

_Okaaay, getting a little off topic here, Tidus. Focus on the fayth now. Focus,_ I told myself firmly, shaking the mysteries of bras and breasts from my mind.

"There are also fiends inside," Belgemine warned, making Rikku and I roll our eyes. Of course there were fiends there. When _weren't_ there any fiends?

"Well let's get this over with then," I said, and we all descended the slippery path that went down into the cave.

The Cavern of the Stolen but Well-known Fayth wasn't very long, but it had a lot of twists and turns that ended up leading to dead ends. There was also the usual mountain of fiends waiting to get in our way and generally make a pest of themselves. It took us probably two hours before we finally came to the end where the fayth was waiting.

When we got there though, we quickly discovered we weren't alone. A group of pyreflies began to swirl around in front of the door to the fayth, successfully blocking our path.

"What is that?" asked Gatta.

"An unsent," answered Auron, staring hard at the pyreflies as the figure of a woman began to materialize. She was middle-aged and petite wearing a pair of summoner robes. She had absolutely no expression on her rather plain face.

"Tidus, send her," ordered Auron, taking a few steps back with Belgemine.

I nodded and stepped forward to perform the sending when the woman snapped her arms out and disrupted the ritual with some kind of shock wave. I actually stumbled back and would have fallen if Gatta hadn't been behind me to catch me.

"What was that?" I yelled, looking to Belgemine for the answer.

Her hazel eyes were narrowed and studying the stranger intently as she struggled to come to an answer. "This woman… she is no longer human. She is simply an empty shell being manipulated by a single need: to destroy."

"So does that mean we have to fight her?" Rikku asked, looking back and forth between Belgemine and the woman-thing.

Before she could get an answer, the thing lashed out again and this time succeeded in knocking me to the ground along with Gatta and Rikku.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," I groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head where it collided with the ground.

A black gloved hand wrapped around my arm and helped me up. I swayed a bit and leaned against the side of a familiar muscular frame.

"You're not gonna try and cope a feel are you?" I mumbled as the arm that helped me up wrapped around my waist to now help me stand.

"Not in the middle of a battle, brat," Auron assured in his 'who, me? Don't be silly,' voice.

I chuckled and closed my eyes, leaning my head against his shoulder to wait for the pain in my head to go away. "Oh good. I hate to have to hurt you right when I need your skills the most."

"Glad to know you have my wellbeing in mind."

"Always."

The puppet-woman raised her hands and began to do something that surprised us all: she summoned an aeon. And as luck would have it the aeon was unfamiliar to me, which meant it was most likely the aeon I had come for in the first place.

Life is a tricky bitch, huh?

When I saw the aeon I was actually a bit amused. The aeon looked like a gangster samurai. Seriously. It did. It (or rather he because it was too masculine to be a she) wore a vibrant robe that had all the colors you would expect to see in a sunset, and had a flat disk-like hat on that covered his face from view. At his side was what looked like a small dragon-dog statue that actually growled at us.

Yeah. Growling statues. And just when I thought Spira couldn't get any weirder…

"I don't know if I should laugh or run," I muttered to Auron.

"I'm partial to a mix of snickering and speed walking," he muttered back, switching his current sword with another one.

I laughed and stood up straight on my own. "Well, let's get this over with."

And we did. It was an easy battle. I only had to summon three of my aeons and use only Auron's overdrive to take out the aeon, and then send the woman-fiend-thing to the Farplane where she belonged.

When it was done Belgemine turned to me and nodded solemnly. "Tidus, the fayth is inside. We'll leave the rest up to you now."

The fayth statue was of a bare-chested man with long dark green hair tied up in a high pony-tail while wielding a sword. His bottom half was covered in what looked like a very puffy, girly, pink and purple skirt. If you ignored the skirt part though he looked pretty much like one of those ancient samurai from the movies.

The actual fayth was a man dressed like a Crusader but his clothes looked older and nobler than any Crusader I had ever seen. He had a white helmet on that covered the top half of his face and revealed piercing bird-like yellow eyes. The lower half of his face that was revealed looked young and firm which I guessed meant he must've been young when he had become a fayth.

He also had a light brown and white dog next to him. Well at least that explained the mini statue from earlier. I had to wonder though why he decided to take his pet with him when he became the new creative version of the undead.

"I am the blade of vengeance. They dare only whisper my name: Yojimbo. Summoner, I ask you: what do you want of me?" demanded the fayth, staring at me with blank eyes.

"Your help in defeating Sin once and for all," I answered firmly.

"If you desire my strength, you must pay my price."

I blinked. "What?"

"If you want me to help you defeat Sin then you must pay me Gil to do so," he translated with no emotion.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that _I_ have to pay _you_ to help _me_ destroy Sin, which is originally _your_ problem?"

He nodded.

"Why? What the hell can _you_ do with money, besides count it up and stare at it?"

"That is none of your concern. Either pay my price or leave."

"Well I guess I'm leaving then. There is no way I'm making my friends give up their hard earned cash that we actually need to some stuck-up fayth who thinks he's so badass that people actually have to pay for his help. Call me when you decide to come down from your pedestal, Yojimbo," I sneered, turning around and heading to the exit.

"It is not a matter of pride, summoner, but of business," Yojimbo retorted, a sliver of anger now obvious in his tone.

I stopped and spun around to face him again. I raised a mocking eyebrow at him. "Business you say? How is helping a summoner take down Sin a business?"

"Summoners come and go; they fight and they die, nearly all without ever facing Sin. I live on and watch the same cycle repeat itself time and time again. After a thousand years I have come to accept it will not change. Not for me. Not for you."

"You gave up hope," I said, my eyes widening as I grasped Yojimbo's true feelings. "You gave up hope on Spira and the summoners. You… you got tired of seeing your summoners die over and over again, didn't you? Just like Valefor…"

The fayth said nothing.

"Okay. Okay, I think I get where you're coming from now." I ran a hand through my hair and nodded as I thought over what I had just learned. "Yojimbo, I'll make you an offer but not in Gil."

Yojimbo cocked his head to the side in a gesture of curious dubiously. "I will unlikely accept it, but speak on."

"I offer you the ultimate end to Sin in exchange for your help and protection," I declared, pointing a finger at him.

"Ultimate end? Sin never ends."

"It will this time. Since you seem pretty reclusive, I'm guessing you haven't spoken to the other fayth a whole lot lately, so I'll fill you in. The oldest of the fayth are sick of Sin coming back over and over again so they decided to send me off with these enhanced summoner powers to take it out once and for all."

"The oldest of the fayth you say?" Yojimbo mused, crossing his arm and rubbing his chin speculatively. "They wish to be awakened then?"

"Yup," I agreed, nodding even though I have no idea what the hell he meant with the last comment. "So, do you agree to my terms or what?"

Yojimbo was silent for a minute before he finally bowed at the waist to me. "You alone realize my true value. You are a master worth serving. My sword shall guard you on your journey, summoner."

"Tidus."

Yojimbo straightened up, startled. "What?"

"My name is Tidus, not summoner," I explained. "If we're going to work together then you have to call me by my name. Deal?"

Yojimbo nodded slowly. "As you wish… Tidus."

I grinned. "Great. Then welcome aboard, Yojimbo."


	15. Part III: Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** III**: **C**hapter** T**hree

* * *

Zanarkand is pretty much one giant city. Most people hear this but don't really _think_ about what that means. Zanarkand is a giant city with no mountains, fields or rivers. The only real thing we have left that is natural is the ocean, a couple forests, a few lakes, and maybe some hills. I have never seen a volcano in real life, and the closes I ever got to a waterfall was at a water park.

So you can imagine how stunned I was when I saw Mt. Gagazet for the first time. I don't think any book or picture I ever saw in my life could ever compare to the real experience of seeing that mountain up close and personal. Even when I craned my neck back to get a glimpse of the top of the mountain I still couldn't get a good look at it.

"And to think that we're going to be climbing over _that_," I muttered to myself as I followed my guardians up the path to the mountain. It was steep and rocky so we had to go slowly so we wouldn't slip and fall. The higher we climbed the colder it began to get until finally we were at the part of the mountain where it constantly snowed.

Rikku and I immediately began to shiver and dig through our bags for something warmer to wear. Gatta tried to act like it didn't bother him, but after about five minutes he too began searching for a coat to wrap himself in. Only Auron and Belgemine seemed totally unaffected by the weather.

"How can you two stand this cold?" I asked, pulling on a blue sweater and then a jacket and zippering it up to the top. I now had three layers of clothes on but I was still freezing my ass off.

They both just shrugged.

"We're used to it," Belgemine said simply.

"In that case, Auron, can I borrow your coat?" I asked my oldest guardian, trying to stop my teeth from chattering so obviously. "Since you don't seem to need it at all while I am struggling not to slip into hypothermia here."

Auron sighed his 'how did you _survive_ this long?' sigh, but still shrugged off his coat and handed it to me. I cheered and put it on and buckled it to the top. With it on, I could all ready feel my body warming up again.

"Okay, let's go!" I proclaimed, and we began the climb over Mt. Gagazet.

* * *

For being a frozen mountain at the edge of society, Gagazet was a surprisingly popular place. We passed Ronso, fiends, O'aka, more fiends, graves, even more fiends, and then finally Seymour.

Yup. You read that right. My former 'fiancé' finally found us just as we were near the very top of the mountain. No one was too pleased when we met up with him.

"Well, well, well. Look what I've found. A lost little bird and four disgusting rats. How… pitiful."

We all froze and turned around to find Seymour suddenly standing on the middle of the path we had just walked pass. Immediately all my guardians pulled out their weapons and gathered closer to me, tense and ready to spring into action at the barest twitch. I wasn't quite as quick to switch into battle mode.

"Oh my god," I muttered, rubbing my forehead in agitation. "Why do you keep chasing after me? Don't you have a life? A hobby? A _plant_? Anything that would prove to me that you're not a bona fide psycho stalker?"

"No," he answered bluntly.

"Wow. Was hoping for a little denial there," I mumbled, pulling Auron's coat around me tighter. "Okay, what do you want?"

"You."

"Not happening. Pick another answer."

"There is no other answer. I have come to take you back with me to continue our destiny."

"I ran away from _your_ wedding, goal and destiny. Doesn't that tell you something, Seymour?" I asked with exaggerated patience.

"It means he doesn't want you," Rikku filled in just in case he missed the painfully obvious hint.

Seymour ignored her. "You don't need to want me. All you need to do is cooperate and help me save Spira."

"Seymour, we went over this. Destroying Spira is not saving it. It's just ending it!" I lectured, getting irritated with this illogical man.

"Ultimate peace and fulfillment can only be obtained through death," he argued, narrowing his silver eyes. "I am giving the people of Spira a way out from the hopeless horror they face everyday alive. I am doing this for them!"

"No, you're not," I protested, unconsciously taking a step forward only to have Auron and Gatta jerk me back. I ignored them and plowed on with my words. "You're trying to destroy Spira for revenge. Anima told me you're obsessed with power, and on some level I think you are. But that's not what drives you on to become Sin. It's your grief. After spending years alone with only the memory of your mother dying for a world that hated you… you can't tell me that didn't change you. Alone, with no one and no purpose to help you heal, your grief slowly turned into anger and then into hate. _That_ is what motivates you to become Sin. _That_ is what motivates your drive to destroy Spira!"

A moment of silence between us before the Guado spoke up again.

"… You know me so well," he whispered, a bit of violet coming back to his eyes. "You understand me better than my own mother ever did. It is another sign that we are meant to be together."

I groaned. "Oh not that again—"

"You understand me and can relate to me on a level no one else can," he interrupted, ignoring my protests. "Tell me, who do _you_ know that can relate to you as well as I can? These worms you call your guardians? Please. They could _never _relate to your situation."

I said nothing.

"You've been alone as long as I have. Living with the knowledge your mother didn't care enough to stay with you. With your father's shadow looming over every little thing you do in your life. I bet even to this day the things you care for… the things you love to do… and even the people important to you all share a connection _Jecht_. No one has ever just seen you for _you_, have they?"

I flinched as the sharp truth in his words hit me. How had he figured out so much about me? How could he read me so well?

"And if they don't see you then how could they love you?" Seymour—_lyingtruthfulbastard_—went on with only cold lavender in his eyes now. "You are loveless and alone. Just like me. Now do you see why I believe you were made for me? We were meant to fill the void we both have—"

"Enough!" Auron yelled, startling me since I was standing right next to him. I looked at him and was alarmed to see he was shaking. Not from fear or cold—from rage. I had never seen him so angry before.

"Stop trying to manipulate him into joining you. Tidus has never been and never will anything like _you_," he practically snarled.

Seymour titled his head to side and stared at Auron as a slow and cruel smile formed on his lips. "Sir Auron, tell me something… when Sir Jecht asked you to stay with his son, did he give you a time limit? A few days? A month perhaps? Maybe even a year?"

Auron froze, and I felt a strange numbness start from my feet and make its way up. My thoughts slipped from my control just like water slipped through my fingers.

_Auron HAD come to watch over me because he promised JECHT. He came for JECHT. Not ME._

"And your friends here… are they not here just because they want to stop Sin?" Seymour's smooth voice continued. "The Al Bhed, the Crusader, and the summoner. They each follow you to make sure you will not die until you defeat Sin. Sound familiar?"

_Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! You liar, just SHUT UP!_

"Your parents didn't want you—"

_Jecht laughing with my mother on a balcony, both ignoring me even as I called for their attention…_

"—your friends are just using you—"

_Belgemine and Rikku begging me to save their world…_

"—no one really needs you. But me. I need you. Come with me, Tidus. Come with me and let's put an end to all the pain."

"I… I don't—" I didn't know what to say anymore. I didn't even know what to think, let alone believe in. Was Seymour really right? Was I really… alone?

"Tidus." A familiar baritone voice. I turned to the speaker and met Auron's gaze. Auron—

"_Just because your mother has given up on living doesn't mean you have to," he lectured, staring down at me as I hid under my blankets for a week following my mother's death._

"_Don't believe everything Jecht said to you. It's not like __**he**__ was perfect himself," he advised me when I told him about what my old man used to say to me._

"_Do you think I would be wasting my time teaching you long division if I thought you would never get it?" he grumbled as he spent half the night teaching me math._

"_I don't like a lot people in general. That's why I avoid most of them. The fact that I live with you should tell you something," he deadpanned when I asked him if we were friends._

"_I have no problem over what you do outside this house. So if you want to go out past curfew and get drunk then go for it. What happens to you when you come back __**to**__ this house after __**is**__ my problem," he warned after I told him I was going to sneak into my first bar._

"_You're only a loser if you believe the nonsense that coach keeps telling you," he told me when he heard me cursing my asshole coach._

"_If you didn't have any skills as a blitzball player then why are all the teams in the league scrambling to get you to play for them?" he pointed out after I expressed concern over my blitzball skills._

"_Why so surprised? I told you I would come to your first professional game… brat," he drawled when he saw how shocked I was that he came to my first game as a Zanarkand Abes player._

"_I was happy living with you," he acknowledged when I asked him about living with me in Zanarkand over Spira._

"_I did originally begin watching over you because of my promise, but that's not why I stayed. I stayed because I wanted to," he said sincerely, trying to erase my childish insecurities and apologize at the same time._

"_That… I love you," he confessed after he found me alone in that abandoned temple_—

The memories flashed through my mind in blinks as I stared at Auron. Auron who stayed with me even though he didn't have to. Auron who guided me when I needed help. Auron who… who loved me. Loved _me_. Not _Jecht_. Not because he had to. But because he… he wanted to. He loved me.

"You're wrong," I said to Seymour even as I didn't look away from Auron. I felt like I was seeing the world in a whole new light. Like all the mysteries of the universe had just been answered for me. Everything just suddenly made so much more _**sense**_.

"The people here do care about me. Belgemine, Gatta, Rikku and… Auron. Auron has cared about me the most. He stayed by my side after my parents left me, as I grew up, when I came to Spira, and nearly through all my time in Spira. And, you know, it's not just that either. He did more than that. He gave me his friendship, advice, protection, life and now his… love. And… and I love him too. He's my best friend and protector, and I doubt I could ever care about anyone as much as I care about him."

I finally looked away from Auron to face Seymour, whose face seemed expressionless but the lavender in his eyes was quickly bleeding away to give into silver.

"I'm sorry," I said to him, feeling strangely calm and sympathetic, "but… I don't need you."

_I need __**Auron**__._

A silence descended on us with only the sound of the winter breeze breaking it occasionally. Then… a chuckle. And after that a laugh. Finally it progressed into full-blown howling.

And it was all coming from Seymour.

_I think I just cut that last thread that was holding his mind together,_ I thought, taking a few steps back. I tried not to flinch when smoldering silver eyes met mine, and a twisted smile took over Seymour's face.

"If that is what you truly feel… then I suppose I can only let you go," he said slowly, raising his hands in the air. "That is… if you can get past me…"

We all gaped as Seymour turned into some sort of huge, bad, nasty _thing_ that I can't even describe. I just know he was freaky and a bit scarier now. For a moment, I felt a flash of fear for my friends, and turned to yell at my guardians to run.

But when I saw the fierce determination on each of their faces I realized they wouldn't run. They were going to stay and fight. Their spirit gave me courage and I braced myself for the hardest (and possibly last) fight of my life.

* * *

Fighting Seymour that day was a lot different than the first time we fought him. For starters, he was hell of _a lot_ stronger than the first time. I summoned all my aeons and each one could only land a single strike against him before he banished them, leaving me unable to summon them again. Next Belgemine called in all her aeons (which all luckily had their overdrives ready to use), but again, after each hit he would just banish them.

With all our aeons spent, we each had to unleash all of our own overdrives on the bastard. I was especially relieved when Rikku hit him with some kind of poison bomb because I knew he wasn't immune to that. Of course, right after she threw the bomb he hit her with an attack that sent her into dream land.

"Belgemine!" I yelled when I saw Rikku go down.

The female summoner nodded and quickly revived the fallen Al Bhed, who weakly got to her feet. Rikku looked pale and tired but still determined to fight. She really was a strong girl.

We were all knocked out at least once and needed someone to revive us. Our potions were being used up at an incredible rate, and soon we would be completely out. Belgemine, Rikku and I were even running low on magic, and Gatta and Auron were already out.

But still we kept on fighting. We had come too far to be killed by _Seymour_, of all people. If we were gonna die then we were going to be killed by Sin like tradition dictates, damnit!

During the battle, I couldn't help but notice that Seymour was particularly focused on kicking Auron's ass. I was beginning to regret mentioning I was in love with him. Note to self: in future meetings with psychotic admirers do not mention you would rather get it on with the old guy standing to your right then with them. Said psychos may not take too well to that and, in a fit of mad jealousy, may try to kill the guy you're in love with. Chances of getting laid will be diminished greatly.

I snorted and tried to hold in a giggle. Bad time for laughing. Reeeaaally bad timing.

Eventually, after about an hour and a half of just non-stop combat, did we finally defeat him. Seymour let out a roar as Auron (ironically) landed one last blow on him. He shuddered and shook before there was a screeching sound and he fell from the sky, and out of our way.

There was a short silence as we all tried to comprehend that we had won before we finally moved. Rikku collapsed onto the snow where she stood; Belgemine made her way to where Gatta was unconscious; Auron stabbed his sword into the ground and leaned against it; and I just leaned against the wall next to me, trying to get my quick breathing under control again.

"We need to rest somewhere," Belgemine called to us as she checked over our fallen companion. "We can't go on in the state that we're in now."

We all nodded in agreement.

"What about supplies? We don't have enough for everyone here," Rikku pointed out, rubbing her sprained wrist.

"Someone will have to head back down the mountain to the Ronso for help. Since I'm the fastest, I'll go," I answered, standing up straight and putting my sword away. I managed to walk two steps before a sharp pain hit me in my side, making me cry out and collapse to my knees.

"Tidus!" Rikku and Belgemine exclaimed at the same time. Auron didn't bother with words; he was already making his way over to me.

"Show me," he ordered, prying my hand away and pulling back the layer of clothes to reveal a deep gash that started from a little under my bellybutton and cut diagonally up to my waist. It was bleeding badly.

"I didn't even know that was there," I gasped, squeezing my eyes and looking away. It was kind of funny. I didn't even flinch when I saw other people's grotesque wounds, but one look at a paper cut on my finger and I start getting nauseous.

I think there might be something wrong with me.

"Adrenalin numbed it for a time," Auron muttered, looking around his bag before pulling out an extra shirt that he pressed against the wound firmly.

I hissed and tried to pull away but he just jerked me back down next to him.

"Stop moving. We need to stop the bleeding," he explained firmly, giving me the dangerous 'don't make me go parental on your ass,' look.

"It hurts," I said, breathing hard and beginning to shake. "Don't we have anything else to stop it with?"

Auron looked to Belgemine and Rikku who each shook her head. I moaned and closed my eyes. This was just _not_ my day.

"We should move you four to that cave we walked through earlier to get up here," suggested Belgemine, picking up Gatta's bag and her own. "You all can wait there and I'll go get help since I'm the least injured one here."

"I'll come too," Rikku quickly volunteered, struggling to her feet. "You might need backup against the fiends."

Belgemine blinked at her in surprise before nodding slowly. "V-Very well. We'll go together. But first let's get the boys out of the snow and into safety."

Fifteen minutes later the two females left to get help and supplies, while us males were left to wait and try not to die. Gatta was still out and had been moved by Auron to the small bed Belgemine had made for him with our blankets, clothes and bags. I made sure to sit next to him so I could monitor him and make sure he didn't slip into a coma, or something.

Auron sat next to me on my other side with his right arm wrapped up from the elbow to the shoulder, and his right leg stretched out in front of him, both bruised and sliced up. He had a lot of other minor wounds but he refused to let out us take care of them. Apparently they weren't severe enough for him to even acknowledge.

My own major wound was wrapped up with a new shirt with one of my belts tied tightly around my waist. I also discovered my left ankle was fractured and my left thigh was covered in one hell of a bruise. I had a few other minor injuries but they weren't too bad.

I was just happy to be alive.

"Well this was a fun day," I said to Auron sarcastically, staring at the gray wall in front of us. "We totally got our asses handed to us by one guy."

"At least we beat him and came out of it alive," he pointed out.

I snorted. "I know. I'm just saying; what a day this turned out to be."

"Mmm." He nodded in agreement. "Not every day you sprout out love confessions for another guy to your stalker."

I blinked a few times before blanching when I realized he was talking about my answer to Seymour earlier. I wasn't thinking about the consequences when I said that so I didn't really know what to say now.

"Um, look, what I said earlier…"

"You didn't mean it?"

I shook my head wildly. "No! I meant what I said. I love you. I love you more than anyone. I just… I don't know where to go from here. I've never had a serious relationship before—"

Auron cut me off with a laugh. "And you think that I understand it any better? I'm in love with a kid eighteen years younger than me. Who is the son of my killing-machine best friend. And the hope for the world. Not exactly ideal circumstances for anyone."

"No, I guess not," I admitted, looking down at my hands in my lap. "It's just… what do we do now?"

He thought about the question for a moment before saying slowly, "We work with what we got for however long we got it. Which may not be very long…"

"Oh no, don't you dare," I interrupted, looking back up to shoot him a glare. "If you start acting all broody and emo-like then I swear I'll leave you right here in the snow. I do not want another Seymour following me around."

"Brat, the day I start acting like Seymour is the day you give up blitzball," he deadpanned.

I relaxed and smiled. "Okay, good. So we'll just take baby steps and see where this new relationship takes us. I can do that."

Auron didn't say anything but I could tell he was as pleased as I felt. His body relaxed and the corner of his lip twitched up a few times before he fought down the smile I'm sure was there. I didn't bother to hide mine; my face actually started to hurt as I beamed as happy as a crack addict at a meth party.

A couple minutes later I was beginning to get bored. So I turned to Auron and began to ask, "Hey, wanna pla—"

"If you're asking me to play-tick-tack-toe or I Spy with you then the answer is no," he said before I could even finish my sentence.

I pouted and kicked his leg next to mine. "Jerk."

He just went on ignoring me.

And that was the beginning of our beautiful (?) new relationship.

* * *

An hour later Rikku and Belgemine finally got back with help. The help though turned out not to be what I expected.

"Yuna?" I gasped, about to stand up and rush to give the petite brunette a giant hug. Auron stopped my idiotic idea by jerking me down and closer to him.

"You're injured," he reminded when I looked at him for an answer.

I blinked and recalled the reason I was sitting here to begin with. "Oh yeah…"

He snorted. Translation: why do I still associate with you?

"Because you love me," I answered for him, nudging his hip with my own before turning my attention to the approaching group. "Hey, guys!"

"Tidus," breathed Yuna, rushing past the others up to me to kneel down and throw her arms around me. "I'm so glad to see you. I've been so worried since I left you back at Bevelle alone."

I hugged her back with one arm and leaned my face against her silky thin hair. "I'm fine, Yuna. I got out before the wedding could start and found my guardians."

She nodded and pulled back to wipe her watery eyes clear. Behind her the rest of our friends finally made it to our location.

"Yo, Tidus!" greeted Wakka, squatting next to Yuna and squeezing me on my left shoulder. He looked me up in down in concern before asking, "You okay, brah?"

"Eh, I've had worse," I lied, shrugging. I looked past them at the other two guardians of their group. "Hi, Lulu. Hi, Kimahri. I'm glad to see you guys found Yuna."

"Thanks to you. She told us what you did for her. You have our eternal gratitude," said Lulu, giving me a small and warm smile for the first time.

Kimahri nodded to me gratefully as well. "Kimahri thank you for protecting Yuna."

"It's fine. She's important to me too you know," I reassured, waving a hand at them. "Belgemine, did you guys reach the Ronso safely?"

"No, actually, we didn't," answered my teacher as she joined the hovering over me with Rikku at her side. "We ran into them first and after we explained what happened they volunteered to help us. So, show Yuna your wounds, and you, Wakka, get out your potions and start feeding them to Gatta. And, Auron, don't even think about shrugging off your injuries as nothing because you're up right after Tidus!"

Everyone turned and stared at the usually soft-spoken and mild-mannered woman in surprise. She stared back for fifteen seconds before narrowing her flashing hazel eyes. "What are you all waiting for? Get to it!"

We all jumped and immediately did as ordered.

* * *

Thirty minutes later we were all healed and ready to go on. Even Gatta was well enough that he woke up and was able to walk. Of course, he was kind of dazed and confused and needed Wakka and Belgemine to help hold him up, but at least he was finally awake again.

We all silently agreed to walk on together as a group just in case Seymour made a comeback, and because the fiends on the way to Zanarkand were getting progressively stronger. We were all better off sticking together as a large group.

When we reached the end of the trail we found a cliff studded with thousands of fayth, and a weird column of water rising up. In was an interesting and freaky sight.

"Wh-What are those?" asked Wakka, voicing the question on all our minds.

"Those are fayth. A summoning! Someone is using these fayth! Someone is drawing energy from all of them!" Yuna cried in realization.

Rikku whistled. "This many?"

"Who wields power on this scale, and what could they be calling?" Lulu muttered.

Rikku turned to Auron and poked him in the arm. "Hey, you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!"

Auron shrugged her off and began to walk on. "Look not to others for knowledge. This is your journey, too."

Rikku visibly deflated. "But…"

"No. Auron's right," I said to her, staring at the fayth waterfall. "This… this is our story. Let's finish it ourselves."

After that we had to go through this long cave that we struggled to survive through. The fiends and traps there were wicked. After a few hours though and a lot of healings spells we finally made it to the exit.

"They'll be upon us soon. She'll have sent fiends to test our summoners' strength," Auron said to Yuna and me as we waited near the egress for Belgemine to finish sewing up the gash on Wakka's stomach. I could hear him cursing behind us followed by Lulu's reprimands, and Gatta's and Rikku's snickering.

Yuna cocked her head at him curiously. "Who is 'she'?"

"Yunalesca," he answered simply.

Yuna and I stared at him.

"Lady Yunalesca?" Yuna repeated slowly.

He nodded. "In Zanarkand, she awaits the arrival of the strongest."

"So… does that mean she's an unsent?" I asked, looking between the two for confirmation.

Auron nodded.

Yuna's face lost a little bit of color and she began to struggle with her breathing. "I see."

Auron raised an inquisitive brow at her. "Lost your nerve?"

She glanced at him before looking to the exit. "No. Nothing frightens me now."

Auron gave her the same honest smile that he gave her the day they met again back at Mi'ihen highroad. Only this time, when I saw him smile at her, I didn't feel jealous or hurt by it. "Braska would be proud."

"Then… I must not let him down," Yuna said, straightening her shoulders and spine. I noticed the steely glint in her eyes and smiled. She really was something else.

We waited another few minutes before Wakka was finally ready to go on. When we got out of the cave we were stopped in our tracks by a huge, nasty fiend. Bigger and stronger than any fiend I had yet to fight so far. I still wonder how we managed to take it down.

Once it was done Rikku squatted down, taking in deep breaths and trying to recover her energy. As Auron walked past her, she looked up at him with dim green eyes. "Hey! Can't we rest a little? Please?"

Auron shook his head. "No need. We reach the summit soon."

Rikku shook her head and grasped her forehead. "I know, I know. That's why I want to stop for a bit. Soon means that… there's not much time left for…"

Yuna looked at her cousin in concern and sympathy. "Rikku…"

The Al Bhed shook her head and stood up. "Never mind. Let's go."

And so we did. We reached the summit just as the sun was beginning to set over Zanarkand. I think it's a statement about the architect and image that, even after a thousand years and countless battles, Zanarkand can still make an everlasting impression on anyone who views it.

As the others 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over the fallen city, I took in the sight of my home that now resembled more of a giant graveyard than a city. Ruins, decay and pyreflies. That was all that was left of the once grand city. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

Zanarkand. The final chapter in my story. The end was finally near.

I turned to my side to look at Auron, who was watching me and waiting for my answer. I gave him a small nod. "Okay. Let's go back to Zanarkand."


	16. Part III: Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** III**: **C**hapter** F**our

* * *

Since it was getting dark when we got down the mountain to Zanarkand, we all agreed to stop and rest for the night. We made a small fire and gathered around it silently. Everyone was wearing a heavy expression; each burdened with the knowledge that someone was going to die tomorrow.

Even I felt uneasy and nervous about what I was supposed to do tomorrow when I got to the temple. Bahamut had told me that I may not have to die to defeat Sin, but he never explained what he meant by that. Maybe I was supposed to figure it out on my own?

"You should all get some sleep. I'll stand guard for the night," Auron suddenly said, catching all of our attention as he stood up and began to walk up a small hill overlooking us and the surrounding area.

We all nodded in agreement; everyone too tired to argue. I set out my sleeping roll between Yuna and Wakka and stretched out on it. With my hands tucked behind my head as a pillow, my sword next to me, and my friends around me I fell into a deep sleep quickly.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a very good sleep.

* * *

_I was on the dock of my houseboat. Everything around me was frozen in time. I was completely alone. I looked around and then sighed._

"_Okay. What do you want now, Bahamut?"_

"**Welcome home."**

_I twirled around and found myself in my room with Bahamut sitting on my bed watching me._

"_Why did you call me here?" I asked, looking around my old room before focusing on the fayth. "I don't really have time to be dreaming right now."_

"**You're nearly at the end. Do you know what happens now?"**

"_You tell me how I defeat Sin," I said like it was obvious. Bahamut chuckled and shook his head._

"**No. I mean do you know what happens to you now?"**

_I blinked, perplexed. "What do you mean? I go home, right?"_

"**Not the home you're thinking of." **

"_Eh?" _

_Bahamut vanished and I turned around to look for the fayth and found us both standing on the upper deck. "What is the point of this dream, exactly?" _

"**You're wrong. It's not that you're dreaming. You are a dream." **

"_What?"_

"**Long ago, there was a war." **

"_Yeah, with machina, right?" I questioned, remembering Belgemine's lessons. The boy nodded._

"**Yes. A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it—if only in a memory." **

"_What did you do?" I asked curiously. _

"**The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war… they all became fayth—fayth for the summoning." **

"_The summoning… you mean Sin?"_

_He shook his head. _

"**No. I mean this place. A Zanarkand that never sleeps."**

_A flash and we were now in the middle of the city with people bustling all around us and even through us. I looked around at the buzzing city that really did never sleep. _

"_I don't understand," I said softly, turning back to stare at the fayth. _

"**The dreams of the fayth summoned the memories of the city. They summoned all the buildings and all the people who lived there." **

"_The people… what, they're all dreams? Me, too?" I asked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I was a __**dream**__? _

"**Yes, you're a dream of the fayth. That is why you share such a strong connection with us. We dreamed you up. We created you. You, your father, your mother, everyone. All dreams. And if the fayth stop dreaming…"**

_The city around us vanished; all that was left was crumbling ruins._

"_No!" I cried in horror, shaking my head and backing away. "So what if I'm a dream! I… I like being here. I like existing!"_

"**We sent you to Spira to end our dreaming. We gave you as much power and guidance as we were able to so you can defeat Sin once and for all. Once Sin is finally gone we can rest."**

"_And I'll fade away," I said, choked up. I was so angry, so scared of what he said. I was going to die. __**I **__was going to __**die**__._

"_I want to live," I told him, trying not to scream or cry. "I don't want to die. I want to __**live**__."_

_Bahamut nodded in understanding. _

"**I know. I didn't want to die and become a fayth either. But… we all must make sacrifices. Even you. We're so tired, Tidus. Would you and your father… would you let us rest? Please?"**

_My voice got caught up in my throat. "I… I…"_

_The dream began to fade away along with Bahamut. _

"**Just a little more, Tidus, and you will be the dream that will end our dreaming at last."**

* * *

I sat up with a snap, breathing heavily as sweat dripped off of me like raindrops. I blinked and looked around me to find it still dark, and the others still asleep. All except Auron, who was staring down at me from his lookout perch with an eyebrow raised. It was his 'do I even want to know?' look.

Silently, I got to my feet with my sword and walked up to join him. I sat down close next to him with my legs crossed and my hands laced together.

"I had a dream about the fayth," I said to him after a few seconds of silence. "They told me that if I defeat Sin for good then I… I will die."

"… I see," he said simply, and then was quiet again.

I turned and stared at him. "Auron, I'm going to die. Don't you care at all about that?"

"Of course I care. It's been on my mind through our entire journey," he scoffed, glaring at me. "Why are you getting so upset now? You knew it was likely to happen."

"Well, yeah, but—" I cut off midsentence and looked away. I swore I would stop Sin because I didn't want to see any more people die or suffer. Easy to make that vow knowing there was a chance I wouldn't die and might go home in the end. But now that I knew the truth… now I was afraid and unsure.

Did that make me a bad person? Or maybe a coward. People like Braska, Yuna, Isaaru and even Donna fearlessly go up against Sin, more than willing to give up their lives for the people of Spira. But I'm scared to do that. I don't even know if I can.

"I'm scared. To die," I said, staring out at the ruins and clouds of pyreflies. "I don't want to but… I can't stop here. Can I?"

"It is natural to be afraid, brat," Auron said to me gently. "You know, when I was here ten years ago, I found that the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered… when we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon. He will fight Sin and then die. I thought my mind was made up long before. But when I stood here, my resolve wavered."

"So even you choke up sometimes," I mused, laughing softly. "So… it's okay then? For me to be afraid?"

"Of course. If you weren't then I would be questioning your mental state."

I snorted and leaned my head against his shoulder. So it was normal to be afraid. Great. But that still didn't solve my dilemma. For a moment, I could envision turning my back on the whole thing; turning around and going back to Luca to live the rest of my life (could it be called a life if you're a dream) while some other summoner (Yuna) could go on and stop Sin. Who would stop me, let alone blame me for choosing to life over death?

_Belgemine would,_ I thought, biting my lip._ And Rikku too. Maybe Gatta would, and I know Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri would even if they never came out and said it. Auron… who knows. Yuna… wouldn't. Not capable of it._

_Decisions, decisions, decisions,_ Jecht sang in a mocking tone. _Hurry up and make a decision. You don't got a lot of time left, boy._

"I know," I whispered, my eyes unwillingly drifting over my friends to stop at the slumbering Yuna. One hand was flung over her stomach and the other was curled near her face. She had a peaceful expression on her pretty face. The idea of never seeing her face change from that sent a chill down my spine.

And that's when I realized it. I couldn't walk away now. I couldn't just let Yuna—sweet, kind, strong, determined Yuna—die because I was too much of a pussy to do what I had sworn to. Bahamut had picked me to do what no one else had been able to, and I couldn't let him and the others down.

_Go now while you still got the nerve, kid,_ Jecht advised, for once being helpful.

"Auron," I said quietly, picking up my sword and standing. "I'm going to wake up Bel, Gatta and Rikku. And then we're leaving to see Yunalesca about the end of Sin."

* * *

Yunalesca was waiting for us at this huge dome that, conveniently, was at the end of the road. After I stared at it hard for a little while I realized with a jolt that it was the blitzball stadium. Or at least what was left of it. In a way there was a certain kind of irony to the situation. My journey had started in a blitzball stadium and now it would end in one.

"Someone has a twisted sense of humor," I muttered humorlessly to myself as we made our way up to the old and weathered doors. As we got closer a gatekeeper in a priest's outfit stepped forward. From the pyreflies dancing through and around him, he was clearly an unsent.

"Journeyer of the long road, name yourself," ordered the old man.

I stepped forward and said loudly, "I am Tidus from Zanarkand."

The gatekeeper walked closer to me to stare intently into my face. "Your eyes, my child. Show me the long road you have travelled… very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go."

We did. As we walked inside we found that that dome was as decrepit as the rest of city. We weren't even five steps into the place when two transparent women in Crusader uniforms rushed by.

"If it might benefit the future of Spira, I will gladly give my life. It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin," said one of the woman to the older looking one, saluting. They both hurried off after that and disappeared into thin air.

"What… was that?" Rikku asked slowly, staring at the place where the ghost women had disappeared at.

"Our predecessors," answered Auron, not at all fazed by the weird and random incident. Then again, he probably wouldn't even be surprised if stones sprouted little legs and mouths and started talking and walking around.

"She said 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she?" Gatta questioned. "Wait! She guarded High Summoner Yocun?"

"This dome is filled with pyreflies. It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever," Auron explained and then started walking down the path with a familiar stride. We all quickly followed after him.

Farther on, we came across another pair of pyrefly memories. This one was of a (familiar) cute little Guado boy, and a (very familiar) beautiful woman with sad, sad eyes.

"No! Mother, no! I don't want you to become a fayth!" sobbed the boy, rubbing his eyes.

"There is no other way. Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you," his mother said resolutely.

The boy shook his head wildly. "I don't care about them! I only need you, mother! No one else!"

The woman's sad eyes sparkled with unshed tears and deep pain. "I don't… have much time left."

After that they both faded out of sight. Rikku and Gatta turned to look at each other while Auron and Belgemine both looked at me.

"Hey, wasn't that…?" Gatta trailed asked, waving a hand at where the memories were.

"Seymour?" filled in Rikku.

"And Anima," I added, feeling like my heart just put on ten pounds. "Let's… let's get going. We're almost there."

After some battles with dead warrior monks and weird machina fighters, we were interrupted in our run by even some more ghosts. But these ones were very familiar to us too.

It was Braska and Auron and Jecht.

"Hey, Braska. You don't have to do this," said Jecht, folding his arms behind his head in a familiar gesture of nervousness. He used to do the same thing before every blitzball game. I never realized what it meant until I found myself doing the exact same thing years later right before my own games.

"Thank you for your concern," answered Braska, only giving his guardians half of his attention.

"Fine," Jecht sneered. "I said my piece."

"Well, I haven't!" Auron snapped, staring at his summoner desperately. "Lord Braska, please let us go back! I don't want to see you… die!"

Braska gave him an older brother-like smile. "You knew this was to happen, my friend."

"Yes, but I… I cannot accept it," said Auron, visibly struggling to control his emotions.

Braska chuckled. "Auron, I am honored that you care for me so. But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron."

The ghosts faded away and we all turned to stare at the present Auron. His face looked like it was made of stone. Seeing him like that made me want to reach out and hold his hand. Only the fact that he would probably break every bone in said hand kept me from doing so.

Braska and his guardians were the last memories we saw until we got to the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. Right before we were about to go in they showed up again.

"Are the trials ahead?" asked Jecht, looking at his summoner for answer.

Braska nodded. "Probably."

Jecht sneered in disgust. "Here, too, huh? Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and… fireworks!"

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin," Braska answered before they all disappeared again.

When they were gone we went on to face the trials. However the trial turned out not to just be a giant puzzle, but also a battle against a huge and nasty fiend. A few summoned aeons later it was dead and we finally got to the hall of the Final Summoning.

"Tidus… we're here," Auron said, looking to me.

I nodded and stared at the elevator waiting for me. "The hall of the Final Summoning."

"Are you ready?" asked Belgemine, coming to stand behind me to grasp my elbow hesitantly.

"I… I think so." I took in a deep breath and looked down at her. "Will… Will you all come with me?"

Belgemine's hazel eyes softened. "Of course."

So, with all my guardians in tow, we took the lift down. As we began to descend, I swore I heard Jecht's voice echo after us, "Huh? What do you mean no Final Aeon?"

* * *

The Chamber of the Fayth was a dark and sad place with an air of never ending pain. But none of us noticed that when we saw it. We were all too focused on the statue set in the floor in the middle of the room.

"There's… no fayth," I said in shock, staring down at the very empty statue. "Where's the fayth?"

From out of nowhere, the gatekeeper suddenly appeared.

"That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," he said, answering my question. "It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is… his soul is gone."

Gatta gasped in horror. "Gone?"

"You mean, there _is_ no Final Aeon?" Rikku pressed.

The gatekeeper shook his head. "Fear not. Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits."

He made a symbol of Yevon and then vanished, leaving us alone again. Once gone I turned on Auron, who was the only one not shocked by what was going on.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," he answered shamelessly.

"And didn't you tell us!" shrieked Rikku, for once looking pissed.

Auron just looked at her blankly. "If I had told you the truth, would that really have stopped you all from coming?"

"No," I admitted for all of us. I shook my head and gave him a small smile. "So I guess we go on through that weird doorway, huh?"

"Yes. She is waiting for us there," he answered, already walking for the door. We all followed him and soon found ourselves in a new area. It didn't look much like a temple though. I was actually reminded strongly of an elaborate and richly mansion. Guess Yunalesca liked the finer things in life. Or undead. Whatever.

Rikku gasped and pointed to the grand staircase. "Someone's coming!"

"Lady Yunalesca," Belgemine said softly in wonder.

And it was. Dressed the same way she was in pictures (as in, like a ho) she looked like she had died shortly after those pictures were taken.

She glided sown the stairs like a noble lady, stopping on the last step. Her ice blue cat eyes swept over all of us before finally settling on me. They suddenly began to shine as a small smile stretched across her face.

"Welcome to Zanarkand," she greeted, bracing one elegant hand on a curvy hip and sweeping the other out across the room. "I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek. The Final Summoning… will be yours. Now, choose."

I blinked. "Choose what?"

"You must choose the one whom I will change… to become the fayth of the Final Summoning," she answered simply.

We all gasped and stared at her.

"W-What?" stuttered Rikku, green eyes huge on her face.

"There must be a bond, between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies: the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, I chose my husband Zaon as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon," she explained calmly. When she saw that I was still horrified, she gave me smile that I guess to her was supposed to be comforting and understanding. Too bad it just made me angry.

"There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation," Yunalesca said before turning around and walking back up the steps to her chambers. "Come to me once you have made your choice."

Once the door slammed shut behind her I spun around to face my guardians in fury. Before I could start bitching, another memory of the three stooges began to play out for us again.

"It is not too late! Let us turn back!" cried the young Auron, looking desperate.

"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin? Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?" Braska questioned, staring at him levelly.

Auron crumbled slightly. "But… my lord, there must be another way!"

"This is the only way we got now!" Jecht growled, stepping forward. "Make me the fayth. I been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never gonna see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. So make me the fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know."

Auron looked like his mother just told him his puppy had gotten run over, but that he that could still keep it. "No. Don't do this, Jecht! If you live… there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!"

Jecht just shook his head. "Believe me, I thought this through. Besides… I ain't getting' any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."

Braska stared at his guardian with soft eyes. "Jecht…"

"What! You're not gonna try to stop me, too?" my old man demanded, glaring at the summoner.

Braska shook his head while a small smile formed on his lips. "Sorry. I mean… thank you."

Jecht smirked and looked to his fellow guardian. "Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron. Guard him well. Make sure he gets there."

Auron mutely nodded his head.

"Well, let's go," said Jecht, taking in a deep breath and beginning to make his way with Braska to the door.

Auron watched them go with eyes that grew bigger with every step they took. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. "Lord Braska! Jecht!"

Jecht sighed loudly and turned to face the younger man. "What do you want now?

"Sin always comes back. It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!" he cried out.

"But there's always a chance it won't come back this time. It's worth trying for," Braska argued back.

Jecht though gave my guardian a small smile. "I understand what you're saying, Auron. And I'll find a way to break the cycle."

His two companions stared at him.

"You… have a plan?" Auron asked dubiously.

Braska also looked skeptic. "Jecht?"

My old man just waved them away.

"Trust me, I'll think of something," he said, and laughed.

Braska and Jecht left after that; leaving a young Auron to fall to his knees in despair. The current Auron snarled and tried to behead his own image before it faded out of existence.

"And the cycle went on," he muttered, not looking at anyone and putting his sword back.

"But not anymore," I said, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Auron, this is it. This is why the fayth brought me here: to end the cycle."

"But how?" Rikku asked, looking puzzled.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but I bet Yunalesca does. She was the first summoner to defeat Sin so that means she's been around since it all started. She's got to know something."

"You really think she'll help you?" Gatta asked dubiously.

"Won't know until we try. This is my story. It'll go the way I want it… or I'll end it here," I declared. As soon as I said that Yuna and her guardians suddenly stepped through the door we had just come through.

"Yuna?" I cried, striding over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"You left so you could beat me to the Final Aeon," she said softly, looking up at me with her piercing eyes. "You did it to save me, didn't you?"

I turned and glared at her guardians. "You guys told her?"

Wakka shook his head, grinning. "Of course not. She figured it out on her own."

I sighed loudly and turned back to Yuna. "So is that why you came? To tell me that?"

"Of course not. I came to defeat Sin," she said, moving past me and beginning to walk to Yunalesca's door.

I quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. "Whoa! You don't want to go in there yet. Not until you know the full story."

Yuna looked back at me in puzzlement. "What story?"

"That you need to sacrifice one of your guardians and your life just to stop Sin for a couple of years," I explained, watching the shock and horror bloom on her face. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too."

"But why? Why do I have to sacrifice one of my guardians?" she gasped.

"They become the Final Aeon used to destroy Sin and then end being reborn as the new Sin," answered Auron.

There was a moment of silence as the newcomers struggled to grasp the fact they weren't only going to lose Yuna, but also a fellow guardian. Finally Lulu stepped forward with a steely glint in her ruby eyes.

"If one of us has to become a fayth… then I volunteer," she stated.

"Me too, Yuna!" offered Wakka, also stepping forward.

Yuna stared at them with watery eyes while I rolled my own.

"No one is going to be sacrificed. We're going to confront Yunalesca about another way to defeat Sin permanently," I told them. "You guys can come along if you want, but don't start getting all noble and offering your lives to the dead chick."

With that said I took off running up the stairs to Yunalesca's chambers. I heard my guardians' footsteps follow before I passed through the doors. A few seconds later and they joined me there. Another few seconds later Yuna and co appeared too.

Yunalesca turned to face us all with a calm expression. "Have you chosen the one to become your fayth? Who will it be?"

"Before we get to that, can I ask you something first?" I asked, raising a hand. I met her beautiful blue eyes steadily and asked, "Is there a way to defeat Sin permanently?"

"No," she answered flatly.

"Are you sure?" I pressed, not about to give up. "Like, a hundred percent sure? Because I was told that there was."

Those lovely icy eyes flickered for a moment before returning to normal. "Why do you ask this? Who has spread such lies to you all?"

"The fayth," I answered honestly. "They're tired of this dead-alive existence they've got going for them. And they're tired of Sin never just finally dying. So they asked me to solve both problems for them, and I agreed."

"Blasphemy," Yunalesca spat, her serene face finally changing into one of indignation. "Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never ending."

"Never ending?" Wakka repeated, looking confused. "But… but… if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" Yunalesca retorted philosophically.

Wakka looked conflicted while Lulu gasped and began to shake her head. "This… this cannot be! The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"

Yunalesca titled her head to the side and closed her eyes as a small smile appeared on her lips. "Hope is… comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be. Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow."

"Bullshit!" I yelled at her, clenching my hands into fists as I struggled to control my anger. "The people of Spira are drowning in their sorrow right now. They can't take much more of this never ending train of death you booked them on. The fayth know this; that's why they sought me out. They. All. Want. This. To. End. _Now_."

"Impudent little boy. You have no grasp of the true meaning behind Sin and all it stands for," she sneered, returning my glare. "But no matter. You, young female summoner. What say you? Will you make the sacrifices needed to be Spira's new hope?"

Everyone turned to look at Yuna, who was gripping her staff like it was the only thing keeping her together. Her mismatched eyes were conflicted as she raised them to meet her namesake's icy gaze.

"I… I would have gladly died," she stuttered, shoulders shaking. "I live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them. But… But no more! The Final Summoning… is a false tradition that should be thrown away!"

I smiled at the petite brunette before looking back at Yunalesca, who looked like she had just swallowed a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

"No. It is our only hope," she objected. "Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people. So they would forget sorrow."

"Wrong. My father… my father wanted to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!" Yuna yelled, raising her voice for the first time since I met her.

"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try," the bitch said flatly.

"My father… I love him," Yuna said with a sad smile. "So I… I will live with my sorrow; I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow, in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it will be but someday, I will conquer it. And I will do it without false hope."

Yunalesca shook her head sadly. "Poor creatures. You would throw away hope. Well… I will free you all before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair. Allow me be your liberator…"

"No!" I yelled at the same time another memory played out. This time it was just Auron, yelling and leaping to attack the bitch only to be flung back across the room by Yunalesca's spell. Once he hit the ground he faded away.

The present Auron ignored the scene and stepped forward with his sword unleashed. "Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

"Well, I'm fighting!" Rikku declared, getting into a battle stance.

Gatta pulled out his own weapon as well. "I won't leave my friends to fight alone. I wasn't there with Luzzu when he faced his final hour. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

"I never thought I would be fighting against Lady Yunalesca," mused Belgemine, raising a hand to begin a spell. "But I won't run."

"Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna," Kimahri growled.

"I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!" Wakka cursed.

"You can always run," reminded Lulu.

He shook his head and grinned. "Hah! I'd never forgive myself—no way! Not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya!"

The black mage smirked and began to prepare a spell. "My thoughts exactly."

And the battle was on.

* * *

You would think, being a thousand-year-old summoner in charge of the Final Aeon and shit, that Yunalesca would be a bitch to fight, right? I know that's what I thought. Until I actually fought her. The woman got her ass handed to her.

Don't get me wrong now. She had a lot of power and these demonic forms she took on that made her look like a medusa gone wrong. But her magic was easy to counter with our own, and once we figured out her strategies we could avoid it all together. Her greatest weakness though was her lack of strong physical attacks. So with Auron's and Wakka's powerful attacks and the power of three summoners, she was quickly brought to her knees in defeat.

"If I die, so does the Final Aeon. And with it, Spira's only hope," she gasped, struggling to hold herself together.

I just stared at her levelly. "Then I guess we'll just have to find Spira a new hope."

Yunalesca sneered at me. "Fool. There is no other way. Even if there was… Even if you did destroy Sin… Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."

"Yu Yevon?" I repeated, puzzled. What the hell did that mean?

Yunalesca ignored me and looked up at the starry sky as tears slipped from her eyes down her ivory cheeks. "Ah… Zaon… Forgive me… Spira has been robbed of the light of hope. Now… all that remains… is sorrow…"

Then Lady Yunalesca, the first summoner to defeat Sin, dissolved out of existence.

"I cannot believe that we just did that," Gatta declared after a moment of silence.

I spun around to face him with a smirk. "Let's do something more unbelievable."

"What?" Rikku asked, looking hyped to cause more trouble.

"Destroy Sin," I answered. "So it won't come back, and without the Final Aeon. I don't know how just yet. But I'll find out. Promise."

After that we left Yunalesca's chambers, everyone a bit dazed from the battle and the knowledge we had just taken out the only known way to defeat Sin. On the way out, Auron hung back with me.

"We must talk," he whispered to me.

I stopped and waited until everyone was nearly out the door before I turned to him. "What is it?"

"There is something you should know," he said.

I nodded. "I know… it's about you, right?"

"I am also an unsent. You are not surprised?"

"I think I kinda knew," I admitted, shrugging. "It was Yunalesca, wasn't it?"

"When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin… I just couldn't accept it. I came back here and tried to avenge them. But she struck me down. Somehow I made my way, crawling, down Mount Gagazet. But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna… just before I died. I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane."

"Auron…"

"Don't make that face," he chided gently. "Being dead has its advantages. I was able to ride Sin and go to your Zanarkand."

"And you've been watching over me since then. Thank you," I said sincerely, standing up on my toes to impulsively press my lips against his briefly. It wasn't much of a kiss but more of a peck, and I pulled back after a few seconds. I took a few steps back just in case he began to roar at me.

Instead he just blinked at me and I smiled back brightly before pivoting around and hurrying to catch up with our friends.

When we emerged from the dome we found Sin waiting outside with the sun rising behind it. It was a Sinrise. When it noticed us it let out a roar that made the ground tremble.

"Dad? I know. The Final Summoning's gone. But I'll think of something! Just give me a little more time, okay?" I whispered, staring up at it as it began to leave. Not ten seconds later the airship took its place in the sky.

It was time to leave Zanarkand behind.


	17. Part III: Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art **III**: **C**hapter** F**ive

* * *

"Aren't we the happy lookin' bunch," Cid greeted when we got to the bridge of the airship where he was waiting.

I gave him a flat look. "We just found out that a thousand years of tradition and history has been one big, fat lie. Did you expect us to be all smiles and sunshine?"

"Don't bite my head off, kid," he retorted, crossing his thick arms over his equally thick chest.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at Gatta, who was watching me. I arched my brows in silent inquiry.

"Have any good ideas yet?" he asked.

"No, but I'll think of something," I assured him just as Yuna entered the bridge with Kimahri. Everyone went quiet and turned to watch as she slowly approached her uncle, and then gave a low bow. Cid's back was turned to her during the whole thing, but we could all see his teary-eyed face reflected on the glass window he stood in front of. After that Yuna turned around and left the bridge with Kimahri.

"Wow. Intense," I muttered, scratching my neck and looking around only to notice that Auron wasn't around. Where the hell had he gone?

I walked out of the bridge and found him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. I went over and leaned against the wall next to him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you to make your move," he answered, not looking at me.

"You're not going to help me?" I asked, surprised.

"Do you need it?" he returned.

I thought about the question for a moment and realized he was right. I didn't need any more help. I already had the fayth for that.

So I sat down on the floor and crossed my legs, and then reached inside of me to find that only three of my aeons were aware of my presence. The rest seemed to be busy with their other summoners.

_Anima, Ixion, Yojimbo,_ I called to them, waiting for them to acknowledge me. _I need your help._

**We would be happy to help you,** agreed Anima. **What do you need?**

_I need to know who Yu Yevon is._

**He who crafts the soulsof the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin,** answered Yojimbo.

_So… he was a person?_

**Yes. He was once a summoner, long ago. He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon,** explained Ixion. **You see, even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon. He will transform it into a new Sin.**

**He is neither good, nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams,** added Yojimbo. **But… maybe not forever.**

_Yeah, that's right. Because we're ending it._

**Tidus… you know what will happen if we awaken right?** Anima asked hesitantly. **The dream will end…**

_Yeah. I'll fade away. But, you know, I still don't understand something. Anima, you told me I would go home in the end, but clearly that's not going to happen. So what did you mean?_

**You will go home. It's just not the home you thought of.**

_Not making any sense again,_ I complained, trying not to sigh.

**Tidus, what makes a place a home?** Anima asked, sounding like she was also trying not to sigh.

_The… people?_

**Correct. And when you lived in Zanarkand, who was it that you lived with?**

_Auron, _I answered without thinking._ But what does he have to—ohhhh._

**Do you understand now?** Anima asked gently.

_Yeah. My home was always Auron. And since he's already dead, and I'm going to die…_

**You'll be together.**

_Yeah. I just hope dreams get sent to the same place as ghosts._

**I'm sure that even if they don't he'd still find you,** Ixion reassured.

**He's very good at that after all,** added Anima.

I smiled and glanced up at the man next to me. _Yeah. He is._

* * *

"I hope you're not brooding," Auron said to me a little later after my talk with my aeons.

I sniffed and began to play with the frayed end of my jeans. "I'm not brooding. I'm thinking deeply about the afterlife."

"Don't hurt yourself."

I sighed and glanced up to give him a flat look. "Can't you be nicer to me? I mean, technically you're kind of like my boy—"

"Don't even finish that sentence. I am not, nor will I ever be, your _boyfriend_," he said, emphasizing the last word in a disgusted tone.

I frowned. "Why? Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"No. That word is simply too shallow a label to be associated with me."

"Oh. Well you don't have to be such a jerk about it," I muttered, going back to playing with my jeans.

Another moment of silence between us. Auron pretended he was a statue and I pouted and played with my clothes. Finally, Auron let out a sighed and gestured to me with one hand. "Come here."

I hesitated for half a second before standing up, and allowed him to pull me up against him. Being pressed against his armor was hard and uncomfortable, but I ignored it and just relaxed against his chest and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

"Why are you thinking about the afterlife?" he asked me as he settled a hand on my lower back. This was probably as close as I was going to get to a willing embrace from him.

"I'm trying to figure out if we'll both end up in the same place," I answered honestly. "You're an unsent and I'm a dream. Do they both end up going to the Farplane? Or will I just… fade away, like fiends do once they're defeated?"

"Who can say? You're a bit of a special case after all."

I snorted. "Don't I know it? But you know, it's odd. I don't really feel like a dream. I feel real. Alive."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "How do you know what a dream feels like?"

"Blurry? I don't know. I'm just saying; I don't feel like my body is held together by the focus of a spirit living in a statue."

"Well, I don't feel any different than from when I was alive. My body can even age if I will it."

"That's… kinda weird." I lifted my head to look up at his rugged, scarred and familiar face. Compared it to his younger self and wrinkled my nose. "I like the way you look now. When I see the younger images of you, it just doesn't look like the real you. You just look like a stranger to me."

"Hmp. I don't know if I should feel flattered or insulted," he muttered, lifting his free hand to touch my face. He seemed to like doing that. I was going to have to ask him about that later.

I grinned and leaned into the black leather cupping my cheek. "Can I have a kiss? Please?"

"I don't know. Are you capable of having a kiss?"

"_May_ I have a kiss," I corrected, rolling my eyes. He always used to talk to me like that to me when I was a kid. It was his way of correcting my bad speech. Personally, I think he just did it to annoy me.

"You may," he said, and leaned down to press his lips against mine.

Auron was a very gentle kisser. This was a bit of a shock to since I hadn't expected it. He was always so rough in almost everything else he did, but yet with me… he seemed almost fearful that if he was too demanding or too rough than I would break, or get scared, or something. I made a mental note to remind him later that I wasn't a girl, and I wasn't made of glass.

Unfortunately, before out lip-lock could progress into more, the door to the bridge snapped open for Wakka and Rikku.

"Hey, Tid—whoa!" Wakka began to say before he froze and stared at us in shock as we pulled apart in surprise. Suddenly he doubled over; rubbing his eyes like someone had just thrown a glass of acid into them.

"My eyes! I'm blind! Blind!" he wailed, stumbling back into the bridge and into Lulu.

Rikku wasn't quite as traumatized. Actually she looked like all she needed was a jumbo-sized popcorn and she would be set.

"Wow. You and Auron, huh?" she commented to me, grinning insanely. "Can I watch?"

"Only if you want me to use you as bait for fiends," Auron replied casually before I could snap at her.

Rikku pouted as Lulu came over to give us a speculative look. "Wakka said you two were kissing. Is this true?"

"Of course not. We were just fighting over a piece of gum," I said with a perfectly innocent expression.

Lulu raised an eyebrow while Rikku snorted and covered her mouth to keep in her laughter. Behind them Wakka was still wailing about his eyes beginning to bleed. And I thought Seymour was overdramatic.

"Is there something you all wanted?" Auron finally asked, gently pushing me away from him. I mentally pouted. So much for getting another kiss.

"I just had a great idea!" Rikku chirped, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

I cocked an eyebrow at her and crossed my arms over my chest. "Well? Let's hear it then."

"It's about the Hymn," said Lulu.

Rikku waved a hand at her. "Hey, it was my idea. Let me tell them!"

Lulu gave her a flat look. "Then tell them."

"The Hymn is the key," Rikku declared dramatically.

Auron and I stared at her.

"Huh?" I said.

Lulu decided to take over for Rikku. "Sin likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?"

I nodded. "And?"

"If we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if it hears the Hymn of the Fayth, it will become docile," the mage explained.

"Yeah, and that's when we make our move!" cut in Rikku with a cheer.

Auron and I exchanged a surprised look.

"That… could actually work," I said, turning to look back at Rikku. "Well, it's worth a try. Let's do it!"

Rikku cheered by jumping up and down, and Lulu smirked slightly.

"Excellent," she said, tossing some of her braids over her shoulder. "I'll let Cid know that we need to head to Bevelle then."

"Why Bevelle?" I asked, confused.

"Because we'll need help spreading the word about the Hymn. Maester Mika is the best person to go to for it," she explained, turning around and waltzing back into the bridge with Rikku hurrying after her. She was still preening about her brilliant idea.

When the doors slid shut behind them I turned back to look at Auron, who had crossed his arms and was shaking his head.

"Do you think he'll really help us?" I asked him.

"Don't know. Probably not. Mika is not one to go against tradition, or change for that matter," he answered.

I nodded in understanding. "I agree. I don't think the guy is very trustworthy. I mean, he did hire Seymour after all."

* * *

Cid agreed to take us to Bevelle since it was the only destination we had. Since it would take a couple hours to get to there, I decided to spend it sleeping. After all, it wasn't like I had gotten much last night. Unfortunately for me though, while my body wanted to sleep my mind was just too wired up to do that.

_Ixion, entertain me,_ I whined to the only fayth available. I was laying alone on an old rickety bed in one of the cabins of the airship. The thing smelt moldy and old, but it was better than the floor so I didn't complain. Much.

I felt the fayth's attention shift to me. **Hmm? How?**

_I don't know. Tell me about yourself. I know next to nothing about you._

**Well there isn't really a lot for me to tell. I am the fayth of Ixion, the aeon of—**

_Boring,_ I interrupted, rolling my eyes. _Tell me about your life before you became a fayth._

**I… I'm afraid that there's not much to say,** Ixion said hesitantly. **I was a captain of a merchant ship for most of my life. My parents died when I was still small and I never married so I had no family when I became a fayth.**

_So why did you become a fayth? I mean, don't you usually do it out of love?_

**True… I did do it for love. But not in the way you're thinking of. You see, I… I was in love. With a Maester of Yevon. **

My curiosity went up a notch. _Seriously? What happened?_

**We were secret lovers for a long time but... he eventually decided to marry a woman of high standing, and broke things off with me. It… was a devastating blow to me. I completely lost the will to live. But I was too much of a coward to kill myself, or allow myself to die. So I came to a compromise; I became a fayth. I figured it would stop the pain without killing me, and would also make my ex-lover guilty and hurt over the way he treated me. I'm ashamed to admit that I was a bit vindictive then.**

_I don't blame you. If Auron ever did that to me then I would probably be pissed and devastated too,_ I said, feeling sympathetic for my friend. It was also a bit scary for me to realize how much of a hold Auron had over me that just the idea of losing him made me feel sick.

_So did you ever get over the pain?_ I asked, deciding not to think too much about my own feelings. I had enough to worry about as it was (aka: saving the world) to get too caught up in personal problems.

**Of course. It was a long time ago.**

_But that doesn't lessen the pain,_ I pointed out. _I know my pain from my parents still burns strong even after ten years._

**That's because **_**you**_** never got closure,** he retorted. **You never let go of your anger and hurt. You never forgave them did you?**

_No. I guess not. I've always resented my mom for dying on me, and my old man for treating me like shit._

**Is that all?**

_What do you mean? What more is there?_

**Your father. Did you ever miss him? Even just once?**

If this was a couple months ago then I probably would have scoffed and said something like 'Hell no!' and left it at that. But I wasn't the same person I was a couple months ago. I had changed. I had grown up. That's why I actually paused and thought deeply about the question for a long time.

_Yeah,_ I finally admitted to the fayth. _Yeah, I missed my old man. I missed my dad. But when I was a kid it was so much easier to hate him than it was to cry for him._

**And now? Can you cry for him now?** Ixion asked gently.

_I think I already am,_ I answered as teardrops dripped down my face and shattered like glass against my hands. Before I could stop them, ten years worth of grief came rushing out as for the first time in my life I cried for the dad and the chance I had lost.

* * *

"Tidus? Are you awake?"

I sniffed and wiped my eyes clear as I sat up on my bed, and looked towards the door. "Yeah. Come on in, Bel."

The door slid open and my teacher walked in, took one look at me, and automatically knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

I bit back a sigh. Damn perceptive woman. "Nothing. I was just thinking about my parents. So what do you need?"

She looked skeptic but didn't say anything. "I need to talk to you," she said instead, moving towards me and sitting down next to me on the bed. I scooted over a bit to give her more room, and then waited for her to continue speaking.

"You still have one more aeon left to get," she finally told me.

I blinked, completely lost. "What? Why? The Final Aeon doesn't exist anymore. What do I need more aeons for?"

"To defeat Sin," she said flatly. "Did you think that your magic and sword will be enough to stop it? Because it's not."

"Oh. Well… where is this aeon?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.

"Remiem Temple."

"What? How? I was there and I didn't see any fayth… oh, wait. There was one room that was locked. Is that where it is?" I asked, thinking over the temple I had stayed at.

Belgemine nodded. "Yes. I know the way to open it so you can get the fayth. But you must first get it before facing Sin."

"So, what, you want me to ask Cid to drop us off there first?" I asked.

My teacher smirked. "Exactly."

Unfortunately for Belgemine, Cid wasn't quite as willing to agree to our request.

"What am I, your shoopuf? Hell no. If you want off then jump," he said to me, before going back to ignoring my existence.

I turned and gave Belgemine a helpless shrug. She sighed and pushed me out of the way muttering, "Let me handle him."

I more than willingly moved back and allowed her to take on the Al Bhed. She tapped him on shoulder and Cid turned around. He looked around before looking down at the smaller woman, and some of the harshness faded from his face. Guess he had a soft spot for females.

"What is it now?" he rumbled, but not as harshly as he did with me.

Belgemine smiled at him prettily even as her hazel eyes sharpened. I unconsciously took a step back towards Wakka. My teacher suddenly looked veeerrryyy scary. Like 'Fatal Attraction' kind of scary.

"Captain, we need to visit Remiem Temple. Would you please drop us off there and then continue on to Bevelle with Yuna and her guardians? You can come back to pick us up tomorrow morning," she said cheerfully, leaning towards the Al Bhed man slightly.

Cid blinked a few times, looking like he didn't know if he should brush her off, give in, or beg her not to boil any of Rikku's pets. "I-I guess that would work. If it's really that important to all of you."

"Oh it is, captain," she purred, winking at him. She then spun around and gave me a perfectly normal smile.

"Mission accomplished," she chirped, swaying past me and out of the bridge.

I watched her go and made a mental note to never, _ever_, get on Belgemine's bad side.

* * *

We got to Remiem Temple in the middle of the afternoon. I think. It was hard to tell because the sky was dark and overcast. So far it had yet to rain but I knew it was only a matter of time before it poured down on us.

When we got into the temple we all looked to Belgemine for an explanation over what to do next to get to the fayth.

At first she didn't say anything. She just stood there taking in a few deep breaths to compose herself. Finally she turned around, and looked up at me in the eye.

"Boyo, do you remember what I told Luzzu that day back on Mi'ihen Road?" she said. "That I started my pilgrimage but never completed it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Well the reason why I didn't finish it is because… I died," she explained softly.

I blinked. "You mean… you're an unsent?"

She nodded, not looking away from my eyes.

I thought hard about that for a moment before dismissing it into the 'not important. Do not waste extremely large brain capacity on it' category of my mind. "Oh. Okay. Anything else?"

Belgemine blinked a few times, obviously thrown off guard. "Are you… you mean you don't care that I'm… dead?"

"Nooooo. Why should I? It's not like you're not you anymore," I pointed out.

Soulful hazel eyes stared at me in wonder before softening into affection. Belgemine reached up to cup my cheek just like Auron did earlier, but with a different meaning. A more motherly meaning. "Tidus, you truly are a wonder. I'm so glad I met you. You're the reason I finally mustered up the courage to do this…"

I and the others stared at Belgemine as she backed away into the center of the room, blinking her teary eyes clear. She straightened up her spine and assumed a serious expression even as her form blurred and pyreflies danced around and through her.

"Tidus, I challenge you to a duel of aeons!"

A moment of silence passed before I finally broke it with a single word: "What?"

That was all I had to say when I heard my teacher's declaration. What. I think though it pretty much summoned every possible question I could ask her. Like, 'What is a duel of aeons?' or, 'What the hell does that have to do with the fayth?' and my personal favorite, 'What the hell have you been smoking and where can I get some?'

Belgemine seemed to understand all those unsaid questioned because not only did she explain herself, but she also gave me an exasperated look. "I am the high priestess of this temple, and the guardian of the fayth here. If you wish to get this aeon then you must first beat me in a duel of aeons."

"But… what's a duel of aeons?" asked Rikku, looking to me and Gatta and Auron like we would know the answer.

"A duel of aeons is where two summoners summon two different aeons to go up against each other," Auron explained, staring at Belgemine with a look that even I had trouble deciphering. Finally I decided it was somewhere between 'this may be a potentially amusing situation so speak on' and 'would anyone _really_ miss you?'

"You're not allowed to throw her off the side of the temple," I muttered to him just in case he went with option B.

"Only if she promises not to kill you in this duel of hers," he replied loudly enough for the others to hear.

Belgemine looked like he had just bitched slapped her across the face. "Of course not! I would _never_ intentionally hurt Tidus, let alone _kill_ him. This duel is simply to test how strong of a summoner he has grown to be. If he can beat all of my aeons then he is ready to face Sin and obtain his last aeon. If not then he needs more training and I won't grant him the aeon."

"So it's like a final test then," I said, finally grasping her logic.

She nodded. "Yes. As your teacher, I am finally ready to give you your last test. The test that will truly tell us if you are capable of beating Sin. So do you accept my challenge, or not?"

I stared into Belgemine's soulful hazel eyes and saw only a serious determination to make sure her student succeeded where she had failed. Belgemine was doing this for **me**.

How could I refuse her after realizing that?

"Okay. I accept your challenge, Belgemine. May the best summoner win."


	18. Part III: Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** III**:** C**hapter** S**ix

* * *

"The first aeon you must face is Valefor," Belgemine explained as we both faced off in the middle of Remiem Temple. "You may summon any aeon you wish except for the one I have summoned. Summoning two of the same aeons would cancel each other out."

I nodded in understanding. "Right. Different aeons every time, got it."

"If I defeat your aeon then you have two chances left to summon another one," she continued. "All in all, you may summon three aeons for each duel. You can also choose to rest after each duel and then continue, or just keep going. Now do you understand everything?"

"Yeah. I'm ready to start," I said, feeling my palms begin to sweat. I still couldn't believe that I was going to be going up against _Belgemine_; both my teacher and the strongest summoner I knew. I swear this kind of stuff could only happen to me.

"Good. Now choose your aeon," Bel commanded as she raised a hand to summon Valefor. I flinched a bit as the aeon came swooping down, blowing dust up all over the place. I had to cover my mouth and nose so I wouldn't start sneezing up a storm.

_Okay. Valefor is very agile and quick with no elemental weakness. So the best aeon would be one also immune to all elements while also having good defense and strength to counter her speed and dexterity,_ I thought, eyeing up the aeon a few feet away from me. Going through the list of my aeons, I could only come up with one that matched my description.

"Bahamut," I muttered, reaching inside me to summon the aeon. I had yet to summon him so I had no idea what he looked like or if he would really be good against Valefor, but I trusted the lessons Belgemine had drilled into me on each of the aeons.

There was a moment of silence before the temple began to shake and a loud, deep roar filled the room as Bahamut made a crash landing. When I saw him I suddenly understood why his fayth looked the way it did.

"Wow. So that's why Ifrit calls you dragon boy," I commented in awe, staring at the very dragon-like aeon. He was easily the biggest aeon I had seen yet—excluding Anima—and also the most intimidating. You could tell though that the fayth was a little boy; only a little kid could think up something like this.

"Valefor, Sonic Wings," Belgemine immediately barked.

"Bahamut, dodge!" I yelled quickly, feeling like one of those Pokémon trainers from the anime. I was actually kind of tempted to yell out 'Go, Pikachu, I choose you!' just to see what would happen.

Of course, with my luck, a Pikachu probably really would appear…

My aeon leapt up, twisting in midair to barely avoid the attack. He landed back on the ground on all fours; crouched down low like a cat ready to pounce.

"Uhh, Bahamut, Impulse!" I yelled, going with the first thing that popped in my head.

That turned out to be a bad idea. Valefor just flew up and dodged his black balls of magic attacks. Once they were gone she threw another Sonic Wings at him, this one managing to land a hit and leaving him dazed.

"Valefor, Energy Ray," Belgemine ordered calmly, watching my aeon kneel on the ground.

_Crap!_

"Bahamut, look out!" I yelled but it was too late. The attack hit him dead on and I winced as I saw my aeon get hurt.

"Bahamut, get up, please!" I pleaded, trying to resist running out to the battlefield to him. I wasn't _that_ stupid.

The dragon-like creature groaned before shaking himself off and standing up straight. He looked over his shoulder at me with a sort of 'now what?' expression on his face. I glanced from him over to our opponents and met my teacher's steely eyes. I realized then how completely serious she was over this match. She was not going to go easy on me or show any sort of mercy for my aeons. She was going to give it her all, and if I wanted to win then I was going to have to do the same.

"Bahamut… do whatever it takes to bring Valefor down. Show no mercy," I ordered my aeon, looking away from Bel's soulful eyes to meet my aeon's cat-like orbs. An understanding passed between us, and I smirked while Bahamut roared.

After that the duel was a lot easier for some reason. Bahamut used his overdrive twice and Valefor fell to the ground in cloud of pyreflies. Belgemine stared at her defeated aeon before looking up at me.

"This match is yours, Tidus," she acknowledged, bowing her head slightly. Her face was completely devoid of emotion but her eyes sparkled with approval. It made me feel good to know I hadn't let her down.

Yet.

"Do you need a break or shall we continue?" she asked, raising her left eyebrow slightly.

I smirked and tossed my head back. "Are you joking? Let's keep going!"

Belgemine let a smile flicker across her lips before she turned serious again. "As you wish."

* * *

After Valefor it was Ifrit, Ixion and then Shiva. I managed to get to Ixion with just Bahamut before he was finally taken out. After that I switched to Shiva to combat Ixion's lightening attacks, and then used Ifrit's fire against Shiva's ice. By then it was late noon and I decided it was time for a break. I was hungry, sore and in need of some fresh air. The temple smelt old, dusty, and oddly enough, of green peppers. For the record, it's not a nice combination of smells.

"I'm hungry. Do we have anything to eat?" I asked Belgemine once we were outside in the nice, pepper-free air.

"I think we have some apples left," replied Rikku, dropping her bag to the ground and sitting down next to it to ruffle through it.

"When did we get apples?" I wondered.

"Rin. He was onboard the airship," Gatta explained, squatting down next to Rikku and watching her dig through her junk.

That surprised me since I hadn't seen him. "Really? Is he still there?"

"Maybe. I'll find out when we get back," Rikku promised as she finally found the apples. "Ha-ha! Found them!"

"Bout time," Gatta muttered, sharing an exasperated look with me. He was just as hungry as I was.

Belgemine also managed to find some seeds and beef jerky and together with the apples, that was our lunch. We all enjoyed our odd meal relaxed out on the grassy part behind the temple overlooking the great maze beneath it.

"What's the maze for, Bel?" I asked my teacher, peering down at the two wild chocobos running through it.

"Chocobo races. You can use one to race against the others. If you beat them then they let you take a prize from the treasure chests below," the summoner explained.

Rikku perked up when she heard that. "There's treasure down there? Sweet! Let's go get it!"

"Later," Belgemine ordered, stopping the Al Bhed from before she could get up and run down to the maze. "Tidus and I have three matches to finish still."

"But we don't gotta stick around for that right? It's just you and Tidus who need to stay. So while you two finish your duel-aeon thingy then the rest of us can go treasure hunting," Rikku persisted.

"What's this 'we' you keep using?" Gatta asked. "I don't recall agreeing to any treasure hunts."

"You have to come. Who else am I going to get to help me carry the stuff back up?" she whined, tugging on his arm.

"Carry it yourself."

"You meanie! How can you treat a lady so cruelly?"

"What lady? All I see is a whining little girl."

"Oh that's it!"

"Hey—oww! Damnit, Rikku, stop that!"

"Never!"

"It's a nice day, huh?" I commented to Auron, totally ignoring the scuffle going on to the far left of me. I had no relation to those weirdoes at all. _None at all._

He just snorted and took a swig from his jug. While Auron was pretty much tuning the little argument out, Belgemine seemed to be slowly growing irritated. I estimated it was only a matter of time before she finally snapped.

"I bet you ten Gil Belgemine pushes one of them—most likely Rikku—off the side and into the maze," I muttered to my oldest guardian.

Auron paused and turned to stare at Belgemine and then at Rikku and Gatta. Finally he shook his head and went back to his drink. "Five minutes max before she smacks them both in the head with her fan."

I glanced back at my teacher and noticed that she did have her pretty little white fan with the pink cherry blossoms out, and was gripping the black painted handle tightly. It was a delicate thing that she had paid a pretty penny for back at the Moonflow. There was no way she would risk breaking it over the arguing duo.

I turned back to Auron with a smirk. "You're on."

Five minutes later I was grudgingly handing over my money to the smug bastard while Belgemine waved her broken fan at the bruised Rikku and Gatta.

_That is the last time I __**ever**__ bet against Auron. __**Ever**__._

* * *

After our lunch-and-a-show ordeal it was back to Belgemine's and mine little duel. I was now going against her Bahamut, which for the record was super badass. He totally took out Ifrit and Shiva before they could even land a good blow on him. With two aeons already used, I had only one aeon-chance left to summon so I decided not to take any risks and just summoned Anima.

When Belgemine saw the aeon I had picked, she rolled her eyes. "Getting nervous I see."

I gave her a haughtily look while crossing my arms over my chest. "Hardly. I'm just getting bored with this challenge of yours."

"Then I guess I better spice things up," she purred in return, smirking at me.

I just smirked back. "Bring it on."

With Anima I took out Bahamut pretty easily. However I was stopped short with the next aeon, Yojimbo. The damn samurai gangster was an aeon I was still unfamiliar with since he hadn't been in any of the aeon books Belgemine had me studied. I also had only seen him battle once and had never summoned him yet, so I was totally unsure on what to do to defeat him.

Finally I decided to just wing it and have Anima pelt out whatever she wanted. Usually using this tactic with an aeon only works well against fiends, but since Anima was pretty much the top bitch of all aeons she could pull this off with fiends and aeons.

When Yojimbo fell Anima also disappeared as the next aeon I was going against was her. Once Belgemine summoned her to face me I decided to summon Ixion. I had faith in my aeons so that any one of them that I picked would defeat Anima. The only reason I went with Ixion was because I so rarely used him, and figured he needed his own turn in our duel of the fates.

One Aerospark and two of his Thor's Hammers later and Anima kicked the bucket. And it only took six minutes. Huzzah for me for having some kickass aeons.

When it was done, Belgemine stared at Anima as she fell apart and then evaporated into the air. Then slowly she raised her eyes up until they met mine, and I felt some of my tension ease up when I noticed the pride and love in her eyes.

"You have beaten all my aeons, Tidus. Well done," she congratulated me, smiling softly. "I… I don't think I have ever been as proud as anyone as I am at this moment."

I felt my face heat up at the praise. "Thanks, Bel."

"You're welcome," she returned automatically. "Do you… do you want to know a secret?"

"What, that you're secretly a man? Because if you were then you can just keep that to yourself."

"No, no, it's not anything like that," Belgemine laughed and shook her head. "I want to explain the reason why I remained in Spira even after my death. It was to help train summoners to defeat Sin. I had been doing it for years with no success until I came across you. You, Tidus, who is destined to end Sin for good… Your coming to me was a blessing. I was not only able to teach you everything I know as a summoner, but I also got the chance to experience life again. Every moment I have spent with you reminded me of all the things in life that I had forgotten: joy, anger, despair, loyalty, friendship, love… and hope. You have given all those emotions back to me. Thank you, Tidus."

"I… I don't…" I didn't know what to say. No one had ever said something like that to me. _I_ gave her back her emotions? How the hell did I ever do that?

"And now I have a request to ask of you," she continued. She paused for a moment to compose herself before asking, "Will you please send me to the Farplane?"

"What?" I gasped, taking a step back. "W-Why?"

Belgemine gave me a sad and yet hopeful smile. "Because I have fulfilled my purpose here, and now it is time for me to leave the world of the living to just that—the living."

"But we don't want you to go!" Rikku cried, looking ready to cry. "We need you!"

The summoned shook her head. "No, you don't. None of you do really. You're strong enough to get along by yourselves. And if you do need someone then you have each other. Me leaving will not change that."

Gatta stepped forward with big eyes and reached out a shaking hand towards her. "B-But, Lady Belgemine, what… Do you really want to go to the Farplane?"

"I do," she admitted, sighing deeply. "I'm very tired and I'm ready to face my destiny. And… and I miss Luzzu."

That did it. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath to steady myself. "Okay, Bel. I'll send you."

"Thank you," she whispered. The emotions in her voice were an anagram of pain, pleasure, remorse, joy, guilt and a whole lot of other feelings I couldn't nail down.

Never let it be said the dead don't feel.

"Gatta, thank you for protecting me during our journey," Belgemine said with a soft smile to the Crusader. "I think I now understand why Luzzu loved you so much. I do have one more favor to ask of you though. Once I'm gone, would you still continue to guard Tidus for me? He will need all the help he can get to defeat Sin, and there is no one I would trust more to be that help than you."

"O-Of course, my lady," Gatta stuttered, struggling to remain strong and composed.

"Thank you." She gave him another smile and then turned her gaze onto Rikku. "Rikku… you're a bit of brat but you have a good heart. In a world like ours that's all too rare. Don't let anything destroy that heart, okay?"

Rikku nodded, too overcome by her emotions and tears to give a verbal response.

Belgemine continued on down the line to Auron.

"Auron… I'm glad we met. It was an honor and a joy to serve with you. Please take good care of them for me."

Auron nodded at her, wearing the smallest traces of his sincere smile. "I will."

Finally she turned her soulful hazel eyes back to me and nodded. "I'm ready."

I nodded, choking back my words, tears and emotions. That sending… was probably the hardest one I ever had to do. To send off someone important to me to the dead? Ramming a nail into my heart would've been easier and less painful.

As Belgemine began to fade away, she reached back and undid the pin that held her hair up in its weird fans/buns mutation, and allowed her long hair to fall loose down her back. She shook it free and then gave me an impish smile.

"You did say you liked better when it was down…"

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess I did. Odd time to take my advice though."

Belgemine just gave me the same kind smile she gave me when we first met as her form was nearly gone. "I hope that we will one day meet again…"

And then… she was gone.

I cried. How could I not? I just lost the closes thing to a mother I had ever known. In some ways it hurt even more than the death of my real mom. Where mom had loved me but had never really shown that love, Belgemine had loved me AND shown it. But in the end, just like mom, she too chose death and love over me.

_They always leave me. Jecht, mom, Bel… they always go away. Why?_

"Tidus." A strong hand gripped my shoulder, turning me around to face Auron. I blinked at his sympathetic face through watery eyes before launching myself at him. Strong arms wrapped around me and held me as tightly as possible to an armored chest. Without any shame, I buried my face in his shoulder, and cried.

Belgemine was gone.

* * *

"Kaze ga yoseta kotoba ni oyoida kokoro kumo ga hakobu ashita ni hazunda koe," I sang softly to myself as I tossed a small, rugged stone in the air. "Tsuki ga yureru kagami ni furueta kokoro—"

"Singing your troubles away? You get more and more like your father every day."

"Go away, old man. I'm not in the mood for your own special brand of cheering up," I intoned, throwing a stone down the bridge. It skipped all the way to the middle before tumbling over the edge. I reached down and picked up another handful of pebbles. The ground around the entrance to the temple seemed to be littered with them.

It was late evening and it had finally began to rain lightly over the valley. I was sitting outside in the overhang of the temple tossing rocks down the main bridge. It had been about two hours since I had sent Belgemine to the Farplane, and the door to the fayth of the temple had magically become unlocked with her 'death'. I still had yet to go in and visit the fayth and get the aeon.

"You don't have the time to mourn for a woman who has been dead for years, you know," Auron said casually, leaning against right wall across from me.

"I'm not. I'm relaxing," I said flatly, throwing another stone.

"You know, if you're gonna lie to me, then you could at least make it a little more convincing."

"I'll keep that in mind for future lies."

"Glad to know I've taught you something."

I said nothing more. There was the usual moment of silence between us as I threw more rocks before Auron finally tried to make conversation again.

"Why did you agree to send Belgemine?" he asked indifferently.

I clenched my jaw and threw the next stone harder. "Because it's what she really wanted. She wanted to go to the Farplane to be with the man she could never be with in life. How could I deny her that?"

"You… actually came up with that on your own? I'm impressed."

I sighed and gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not an idiot you know. I may do idiotic things but that doesn't mean I am one."

"I know that," he said, returning my look. "If you were a moron than I never would have fallen for you. What I actually meant was that I'm surprised you're not angry or resentful of Belgemine for doing what your own mother did."

"Oh. That. Well I was a hurt and angry earlier, but now… now I'm just sad she's gone. And I guess still a little bit hurt and mad. But I think I'll be okay. I understand her reasons better now than when I was a kid with my mom. Not to mention, I can kind of relate," I explained, playing with the last three stones in my hand.

"Heh. You really have grown up a lot haven't you?" Auron asked, pushing himself off the wall to stand over me.

I gave him a 'duh' look. "Well that was kind of the plan. Grow up, I mean. And I pulled that off just in case you missed the fact that I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Of course I noticed, or else this would be very wrong," he said, lifting my chin up while leaning down to kiss me.

I leaned up into the kiss while sneaking one hand up to cup the back of his neck and used my other one to get rid of those damn sunglasses of his. They were uncomfortable against my face. He let out a grunt of annoyance and I used that moment to deepen our connection.

I liked kissing Auron. His lips seemed to fit against mine so nicely, and he tasted good; like a mix between sake and something spicy and something particularly Auron.

If I could have I would have spent the rest of the night mesmerizing every part of his mouth, but Auron had to go and be a grownup and pull away right when things were getting good.

"You have to get the aeon here," he said, standing up and fixing his coat and taking his glasses back while totally ignoring my pouting face. "We don't know how long the door will stay unlocked for us, and it would be an insult to Belgemine to fail in getting it."

His reminder of my job and Belgemine's departure immediately sobered me up. I stood up and dusted my pants off before turning to him with a nod. "Okay. Let's do this."

The fayth statue of Remiem Temple surprised me. Not because it was weirder looking than any of the others, but because it had THREE people chiseled into it.

Yeah. Apparently my new aeon was a set. No wonder Bel was so damn protective of it.

The trio were all women, each with a very different body shape. Their statue had them looking like three koi fish spiraling down into the ocean together. I think it was meant to be a metaphor or something but I missed whatever it was implying.

The fayth themselves turned out to be three women who all shared no resemblance at all. The leader of them had brown hair, brown skin, and was dressed in a blitzball uniform of purple and yellow. The one that stood to her right looked older and built sturdier with short brown, blue robes, and a saucy smirk. Finally the last and youngest one that stood off to the left wearing a miniskirt and tube top with dark brown hair tied in pigtails, and shy eyes.

"Who… who are you guys?" I asked once I got over my shock of seeing three fayths at once.

"We are the Magus Sisters," introduced the blitz player, nodding at me in acknowledgment. "I am Sandy."

"I am Cindy," added the saucy one, winking at me.

"And I am Mindy," finished the shy one, not looking up at me.

"Will you give us your name, summoner?" asked Sandy.

"Huh? Oh, I'm Tidus. It's nice to meet you all," I introduced.

"Likewise, sugar," returned Cindy, smirking at me.

"Why have you called for us? Do you require our protection?" probed Sandy.

"Yeah, that's be nice," I answered with a hint of dryness.

Sandy's brows rose slightly but she didn't say anything. She and her companions just pointed one finger each at me and to my surprise a ball of reddish-goldish light appeared right in front of me.

_Aww, how nice of them to form the ball in front of me instead of throwing it at me,_ I thought, taking the ball and gently pushing it into my chest. Three different but familiar powers rushed through my body before settling in the back of my mind with the rest of my aeons. Once it was done the Magus Sisters disappeared and left me alone in their room.

I now had all the aeons required in defeating Sin. You would think at that moment I would be happy, or proud of myself, or feel something good. But at that moment all I felt was the heavy knowledge that I was another step closer to taking out my old man… and myself.

* * *

We spent the night inside the temple since Cid wasn't going to be coming back for us until the next morning. Gatta and Rikku fell asleep almost immediately; both tired out by their emotional and physical ordeals. Auron took watch on the roof of the temple. How he got up there and why I decided not to wonder about.

I wasn't quite as quick to follow mister Sandman into Sleepville. I wandered around the temple grounds first and then inside the temple itself when it began to rain again. On my journey I came across some sleeping chocobos, a dead rat, and Belgemine's jade butterfly clip that she had left behind as I was sending her. Impulsively I picked up the clip and set it away in my pocket. Don't know why since it wasn't like I was going to wear it, but I guess I just wanted to keep a part of her with me still.

After my walk I tried going to sleep but I found I still couldn't. So I just laid there between a snoring Gatta and drooling Rikku thinking over the day I just went through.

It's funny what you can learn when you're trying to get yourself to fall asleep. It was that night of musing that I finally figured out what Belgemine meant when she said an aeon's strength comes from its summoner's inner power. Because I was focused and unwavering during the matches, my aeons were strong and successful.

I guess that's why there are so many summoners but so few who actually defeat Sin. It doesn't matter how much you train your aeons because in the end if you yourself are not strong then your aeons won't be. When it comes down to it, it really does depend on the summoner's own strength of character over whether or not they'll defeat Sin.

I was strong. Maybe not as strong as Belgemine, Braska or even Yuna, but I was a strong summoner in my own right. And I _know_ I was stronger than Jecht. And with that strength I could stop him, save Spira, protect my friends… and then fade away to wherever it is dreams of stone-bound spirits go to.

_Stop it. Stop thinking about dying, damnit. You're not dead yet Tidus,_ I scolded myself with a scowl. I really did need to stop thinking about my fate so much. It kept getting in the way of me living out whatever time I had left.

**That's good thinking. Staying positive will make accepting your fate much easier,** Shiva advised me, seeming to pop out of nowhere.

I sighed and closed my eyes, too used to having my aeons randomly appear to me in my mind. _Hey, Shiva. You can't sleep either?_

**Tidus, I'm a **_**fayth**_**. I'm already asleep,** Shiva pointed out.

_I know. I was just trying to be polite instead of just asking you what the hell you want._

**Since when did you care about being polite?**

_Since… I don't know. I guess I'm just trying to do what Belgemine tried to teach me._

**Oh, I see. You miss your momma, huh?**

_She wasn't my mom,_ I protested weakly. _But… yeah. I do miss her._

**I can relate. I miss my mother a lot too. She was the reason I became a fayth to begin with.**

_Really? How?_

**Well… it's kind of a long story,** Shiva said uncertainly.

_So? I have no place to be, or anything to do._

**Good point. Well, okay then. Firstly you should understand that my mother was the high priestess of Macalania Temple some three hundred years ago. She took me in after my real parents were killed by Sin when I was two, and spent the next twelve years grooming me to be her successor. **

**I was happy living at the temple as her adopted daughter and heir. My mother was the kindest, most patient woman I had ever met. Everyone loved her; even on her bad days. **

**Everything changed though when I was fourteen. I was walking through Macalania Forest one evening when I was attacked by two men. They… raped me and strangled me and then left me for dead in the middle of the forest.**

_Whoa, wait, you mean you guys actually have rapists here?_ I asked in a mix of surprise and horror.

**Of course,** Shiva said, exasperated. **Our world may not have as many small, petty problems like yours, but we still have them.**

_I'm sorry. I just figured that since Sin is such a big problem for everyone that other things like rapists and muggers wouldn't really bother trying to commit crimes._

**You're forgiven. Now can I continue?**

_Continue on._

**Thank you. Anyway, I was left in the forest for hours before a summoner group found me and took me to the temple and my mother. She healed me and nursed me back to health. Eventually my body did heal but mentally… mentally I was a wreck. Not only was I attacked in the most brutal way possible, but I also lost my position as heir to the high priestess of the temple.**

_Wait, how did you lose your position? I thought you got raped not joined the Al Bhed._

**In my day, the high priest or priestess had to be a virgin. I was no longer one,** she said flatly.

I winced. _Ouch. Way to kick you when you're down. So what happened next? Did your mother try and get them to change it?_

**She tried but she was unsuccessful. When I found out I slipped into a deep state of depression, resentment, guilt and anger. No matter what she did, no matter what she said, my mother could just not snap me out of it. Finally it began to take its toll on her too.**

I flinched. I could guess where this was going to now.

**Finally it became too much and she became ill and died. Her death brought me back to my senses, but by then it was too late. And that's when I decided to become a fayth. I wanted to still do what my mother taught me in life and protect the people of Spira. I also wanted to make her proud and happy with me again. Of course, it's only now that I realize that she never cared about duties. All she wanted was for me to heal and live on.**

_And have you?_

**Have I what?**

_Healed. I mean, you can't really pull off the living part but you can still heal the mental trauma you went through,_ I pointed out. _So have you?_

I could feel Shiva pause and think about the question before coming to an answer. **Yes. Yes I have.**

_Then she's probably proud of you,_ I declared, nodding with absolute conviction.

Shiva laughed with a gentle sort of warmth. **I like to think so too. And… I think your mother was probably proud of you too, Tidus. That's probably why she wasn't afraid to leave you. She probably knew you would survive on your own.**

_What…Which mother are you talking about?_ I questioned.

Though I couldn't see her, I knew Shiva was smiling as radiantly as her aeon.

**Both.**


	19. Part III: Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art **III**:** C**hapter** S**even

* * *

The great Maester Mika turned out to be as spineless and pathetic as I thought. Apparently when he learned that Yunalesca was now carbon dioxide he flipped out and revealed that he was also an unsent. According to him, there is now no hope for Spira without Yunalesca, and he would rather go to the Farplane where it's safe then risk actually thinking for himself and all the people he's responsible for.

Nice to know that in moments of crisis you can always count on the maesters.

No, seriously, you can. Kelk and (as mindboggling as it was) Kinoc had yet to go MIA like Mika and Seymour, and were actually doing their job of holding Spira together. They were struggling and on the edge of pandemonium, but at least they were trying.

"So what do we do now?" Rikku asked as we and Yuna and her guardians all gathered together at the bridge of the airship.

"Well we've told Maester Kelk about our idea and he has agreed to tell the people to sing the Hymn when they the airship in the sky," Lulu explained, glancing at me curiously. "Apparently he is very fond of you."

I grinned when I heard that. "Yeah. We're pretty good friends."

That just earned me even more startled and awed looks.

"Wow, you just make friends with everyone don't you?" commented Gatta, rolling his eyes playfully.

I just shrugged. "Anyway, what do we do now? Do we go after Sin or what?"

"Not quite. I think we should prepare more," cautioned Lulu, ever the voice of reason. "We should probably find some stronger weapons. And maybe do some more training."

"Then we should probably face Omega," said Auron, catching all of our attention.

"Omega?" Rikku and I repeated at the same time. "What's that?"

"Seven hundred years ago… a monk who defied the teachings was sentenced to exile in a hidden dungeon on the eastern part of the continent," explained Lulu.

"Oh, the traitor Omega, ya?" commented Wakka, catching on.

Yuna nodded. "Omega's loathing of Yevon has turned him into a powerful fiend. He would be a powerful adversary to face."

"And the perfect appetizer to Sin," I said with a smirk. "Okay then, to Omega we go!"

* * *

It would take us six hours to get to the Omega Ruins so we all split up to do our own thing. I don't know what the others were doing, but I spent that time happily snuggling up to Auron.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" he asked in a very controlled voice even I had trouble reading.

I shrugged and pulled his tense arm further around me. I had a very secure hold on it. "Because you love me of course. And because you lost in rock paper scissors."

"That's because you cheated," he growled.

"Nah, you just really suck at that game," I chirped back.

For once since Belgemine's sending I was happy again. I don't know how though since all I was doing was sitting on a bed in an empty cabin next to Auron with his right arm hanging casually over my shoulder. And the only reason that arm was even there was because I had taken it hostage.

Being in love really did weird things to your brain.

"Hey, old man, do you think Omega will be hard to beat?" I asked, playing with the sleeve of his coat.

"Can't say. Never met it before so I can't judge it can I?" he answered

I nodded in understanding. "Good point."

We didn't say much after that. I was fine with that since sitting with him like that was enough for me. Eventually Auron even started relaxing enough so that it didn't feel like I was leaning against a brick wall. I was in the middle of thinking up a plan for him to take his coat off when Bahamut decided to grace me (or is it us?) with his presence.

**What are you doing?** he asked, starling me a little.

_Huh? Oh, Bahamut… what do you want?_

**Checking in on you. Now what are you doing?**

_Grown-up things. Now go away._

The child fayth huffed. **You do know I'm a thousand years older than you, right?**

_Maybe mentally, but physically you're still just a kid. You've never experienced this kind of stuff._

Bahamut was quiet after I said that. It wasn't until a few minutes later did I realize how insensitive I had just been.

_Ahh, crap. I'm sorry, Bahamut,_ I apologized, stopping in my playing of Auron's sleeve. _I shouldn't have said that. It was a low blow._

**No, it's fine. I'm not hurt or anything. I accepted my fate long ago. I was just thinking of how much you remind me of…**

_Who? Who do I remind you of?_

**My big brother.**

… _Huh?_

Bahamut snickered at my confusion before sobering up. **Okay, let me try this again. Do you know why you share a deeper connection with me then you do with the other fayth?**

_We share a deeper connection?_

**Yes.**

_Oh. Well then no._

**It's because I dreamed you up. I dreamed up your father and mother and you. But when I dreamed you up, I made special. I made you in the image of my big brother who died in the war.**

I chewed over this new bit of info carefully. _Your brother… what was his name?_

**His name was Shuyin.**

_Shuyin?_ And I thought my name was fruity._ Heh. Did he like blitzball too?_

**Yes,** he admitted sheepishly. **But you're not really that much like him though. You look like him, you talk like him, and you can play blitzball like him, but that's about it. Your personalities, your values, your ideas are all very different. Actually when I think about it, I think I made you more like the way I wish Shuyin could have been. Kinder, happier, more cheerful, and not as self-absorbed.**

_He was selfish then?_

**Yes. He was always… brooding over something. Always so sad and tortured. The only time I ever saw him happy was when he was with his girlfriend, Lenne. She was a summoner who also died in the war.**

_Oh. Were you two close?_

**Not really. He was ten years older than me so he mostly ignored me. I wish we could have been closer thought. He was… the only brother I had.**

_Well it was his loss. If he couldn't see what a great if not sneaky little brother he had than he was a moron,_ I said, a bit angry at this 'Shuyin' guy for ditching such a good kid. The guy sounded like another Seymour.

Bahamut laughed in a way that made me wonder if he was trying to hold back from crying. If fayth could cry anyway. **Thank you, Tidus.** **But you know, you shouldn't call him a moron. I did base you on him.**

_I know. It explains a lot._

Bahamut laughed again, and this time it was much lighthearted than the previous one.

_Hey, Bahamut, can I ask you something?_ I asked once he was done laughing.

**Sure. What is it?**

_Why did you choose me to do this? Surly there are people in my Zanarkand who would have been a better choice for the summoner/savior job than me. People more qualified than some kid._

The fayth paused and thought about the question for a moment. **True, there are people who might be able to handle this job better, but… I don't believe anyone there is quite as… stubborn, or willful, or as strong as you. And in the end that's what really matters. If you have the strength to carry on to the end and accept your fate.**

_But I faltered at the end. I nearly chickened out when you told me the truth, and almost allowed Yuna to go on in my place._

**But you didn't,** he stressed gently.** And in the end, that's what really counts.**

* * *

Bahamut and I chatted for a few more minutes before he had to jet. Apparently a summoner was calling for him and he had to go see her. I bid him farewell and then went back to what I was doing before.

Bugging Auron.

"I'm bored. Entertain me," I whined, pawing at his arm that I was still holding.

"Not my problem," he grumbled back, shifting around to get comfortable. In his attempt he accidently pushed against the bruises on my arms, making me gasp in pain.

My gasp immediately caught his attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just smacked my bruises a bit," I muttered, rolling up my sleeves to inspect the finger shaped purple and green marks on my biceps and forearms.

"Those bruises… are they from Seymour?" he asked me slowly, staring at my arms.

"Hmm? Yeah, from when he grabbed me when I was his captive," I explained, poking at one of the bruises and then wincing when I poked too hard. "I think he's been hanging around the Guado a bit too much. He forgets how much more fragile us humans are."

"Are they painful?"

I shook my head. "Not too bad. Mostly just annoying."

He grunted.

I grinned as an idea suddenly occurred to me. I was probably going to get smacked for it, but the possible expression on Auron's face made it worth pursuing.

"Hey, Auron? Would you kiss them better for me? Pwease?"

He paused and stared down at me over his glasses. "What?"

I held my arm up. "I got a booboo. Kiss it better for me?"

He stared at me for five seconds, then fifteen, then thirty, and then finally a full minute had passed. I felt my confidence and humor waver. "A-Auron?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, to my utter shock, he leaned down to trace each darkly colored bruise with his fingers before following with a kiss to each one he touched. I shivered. His lips were cool and slightly chapped and they felt _good_.

"A-A-Auron." I was stuttering badly now. I just knew my face was on fire too. Damn, could this get any more embarrassing?

_You did ask him to kiss it better,_ Jecht reminded with a laugh.

_Yeah, but I didn't think he'd actually do it!_ I yelled back.

Once he was (finally!) done he pulled back and smirked at me.

"Feel better?" he asked, deep voice rough and mischief.

I nodded quickly.

"Good." He went back to his former position of leaning against the wall. When he saw that I was still frozen next to him, he sighed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders and jerked me close.

"Looks like I finally found a way to shut you up," he muttered.

That snapped me out of my daze. I gave him a dirty look and tried to resist elbowing him in the stomach. I was probably the one who would be hurt if I did. Damn armor.

"Hey, Auron?" I asked a little while later when I felt normal again.

"What?" he grunted.

"Tell me about your life before you became a monk and guardian," I requested eagerly.

That got his attention. "Why?"

"Because I know nothing about your past," I explained, sitting up away from him and turning around so that we were now face to face. "You never talk about it and that's just not fair because you know everything about mine, and yet I know jack-shit about yours."

Auron stared at me mutely for a few minutes before finally snorting and shook his head. "There's not much to tell. My parents were killed by Sin when I was still very young. My father was a high ranking monk in the Order, and my mother was high priestess of the Bevelle Temple. After they died I was taken in and raised by the Church. As I grew up I decided to pursue the life of a monk like my father. The end."

I gave him an exasperated look. "But what about your childhood? Who were your friends, what did you dream about, what did you like to do? Tell me about that kind of stuff."

"Why are you so interested in my childhood?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "It means nothing to me now. I am no longer that person who was once devoted to only the Church."

I sighed and shook my head. He just wasn't getting it. "Never mind then. Forget I asked."

Our usual brief period of silence commenced after that. I was stewing in my own irritation and defeat when he suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into his lap with my back against his chest. Before I could object, he wrapped his arms around my chest; successfully keeping me captive.

"You shouldn't care about the person I was all those years ago because you never got the chance to meet him. All you know is the man I am now. And that is all that matters," he told me in his deep voice.

I twitched and tried not to shiver. It should be a crime for people to sound so sexy when they're being ignored.

"I just want to know you," I answered once I got my body under control. "You're the most important person to me, and I want to be the one who knows you the best."

To my surprise, he actually chuckled at my answer. "Silly boy. You _are _the person who knows me best. I have never revealed so much of myself to anyone but you before. Not to Kinoc, Braska or even Jecht. Only you."

His words made me feel unnaturally happy. When I eventually came down from my cloud I took one of his hands in mine and interlaced our fingers together; silently telling him thanks in the best way he would understand.

* * *

I have only one thing to say about the Omega Ruins: hell.

The Omega Ruins was Spira's version of hell. Seriously, it was. We didn't have a map of the place because no one had been there long enough to make one of it, which meant we pretty much had to scramble around through these dark underground caves while fighting off some of the strongest fiends I had ever met. The fact that I nearly broke my toe from stubbing it so many times in the dark also does not help my opinion of it.

We had to move slowly through it while also keeping track of our steps. Lulu had decided to make a map of the place to help future people who decided to investigate the ruins. Rikku and I agreed that future adventures into it would be pointless for those people since we were going to defeat Omega, and pick the place clean.

"Not going to be much left except for the rocks and fiends," I muttered in Al Bhed to Rikku.

"I feel sorry for the people who come here next," she muttered back in Al Bhed, clutching my arm and snickering madly.

Our fun was interrupted though by a great big vulture of doom.

"Stop flirting and walk faster," Auron growled, coming up behind us like a bad storm cloud.

Rikku took one look at his face and immediately ran over to hide next to Kimahri. I wasn't quite as intimidated. After ten years of living with the man I had built something of an immunity against his evil glares.

"Stop scowling. It will make your face more wrinkly," I commented casually as he came to walk besides me.

That earned me a darker glare and a growl. This one loosely translated into something like 'one of these days I'm just gonna snap and join Sin in destroying Spira—starting with _you_.' "What were you two whispering about?"

"The ruins and how we're gonna rob Omega blind," I answered, glancing at him with a grin. "Wanna help us? You can carry the real heavy stuff."

"As fulfilling as it would be to play your pack mule, I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he drawled, walking past me.

I just laughed and followed after him.

* * *

We were pretty deep into the dungeon where we were attacked by Ultima Weapon. It was an impressive albeit freaky looking fiend. It had four long legs and two short arms in the front with two huge, curved horns on its head. It was covered with a plating of scaly, red and gold armor that had runes written across them. Finally it had the face of a rat with beady yellow eyes.

"You're kidding me!" Wakka cursed, pulling out his ball and getting ready for a fight.

Our battle against Ultima Weapon was hard, but not as hard as the one we had against Seymour. Maybe that's because Seymour was driven by emotions while this fiend was just driven on instinct. The additional people probably also helped our situation.

I think the thing that was most frustrating with Ultima Weapon was that it liked its status effects. It kept throwing dark, sleep, silence, and break and confuse at us. Yuna and I kept casting and recasting reflect and shell on everyone to protect them from the attacks. Its group attack, shimmering rain, was also pretty devastating against us. It knocked Lulu and Kimahri out twice.

But in the end, as with all other fiends, we defeated Ultima. It sank into the floor with a tortured shriek that nearly made my ears bleed. I was not sad when it finally disappeared into pyreflies.

"That was not Omega," Auron told us as he calmly wiped his sword off while the rest of us were panting on the ground around him. "Just a shadow, born from Omega's wrath."

"What, so the main man's still around?" Wakka said, looking around like Omega was going to pop out from behind a pillar or rock at any moment.

"Where do you think he is?" Lulu asked, wiping off some dirt from her current doll. It looked a bit like a running cactus.

"Probably up ahead. Let's go," Auron ordered, walking off.

Even further in, we found a shimmering purple barrier that looked like a transporter. While the rest of us hovered around it, Auron walked right up to it saying, "It seems we rate his personal attention, now."

There was a pause before we all scrambled after him into the purple barrier that transported us to find the fiend we had come to confront already waiting for us.

Omega looked exactly like Ultima except with different coloring. Instead of red and gold, he was blue and silver. He also seemed to favor status effects like break and confuse. His special attacks, Core Energy and Shimmering Rain, were nasty and did a lot of damage. It was a good thing though we had faced Ultima right before Omega because Yuna and I now knew to cast shell, haste and protect on everyone to protect them from those devastating attacks.

The battle wasn't very long. Thirty, maybe forty minutes into it he collapsed, dead. Yuna immediately began to perform a sending to insure that he didn't make a surprise comeback. We all stepped back and watched her dance with the specks of rainbow lights.

"Find your peace on the Farplane. Leave Spira to the living," Auron whispered once Omega was completely gone, all badass as usual.

I refused to acknowledge that it was kind of a turn-on to see him like that.

After that we decided to investigate the ruins a little more for any treasure we may have missed. Turns out that was a smart idea. We ended up finding a better weapon for Gatta, supplies, and a lot of rare potions. After that we decided to head back to the place the airship was to pick us up, and it was during that walk that everything went to hell.

Kimahri noticed it first. He paused and cocked his head to the side with a serious expression on his fuzzy face. When Yuna noticed that he was no longer walking besides her, she paused and turned around to face him, catching the rest of our attention as well.

"What is it, Kimahri?" she asked him in concern.

"Kimahri hear rumbling sound," he answered, looking up at the ceiling.

We all copied him and looked up too. At first we didn't see or feel anything. But then we saw it; little cracks running through the ceiling down to the sides with a growing rumbling rising from deep within the ground.

The Omega Ruins were collapsing.

"Run!" Auron—ever the rational one during a crisis—ordered, pushing Lulu forward so she wouldn't get hit by the huge rock that fell from the ceiling.

That falling ruble pretty much snapped us all into action. We all started sprinting to the exit, trying to avoid falling rocks and the crumbling ground. It wasn't easy since we were all pretty tired already from our previous battles.

"Rikku, contact your father to beam us up," Auron ordered when we finally came up to the only entrance to the place.

Rikku did as told, and just as we reached the dead-end we were beamed up to the airship and out of danger.

"Holy crap!" Cid cursed when he saw us, taking a step back. "What the heck did you fools do down there? You brought the whole place down!"

"We… killed… Omega," I said between gasps, collapsing on the ground and leaning back-to-back with Gatta. I had to close my eyes and struggle to get my breathing under control. "That… vengeful… bastard…!"

Cid shook his head and turned around and walked back to the controls, muttering under his breath in Al Bhed about how something was seriously wrong with me, and why did I keep dragging his daughter and niece into danger with my stupidity?

I just responded in kind by raising a hand and flipping him the bird. "Right back at ya, old man. Right back at ya."

* * *

"So we defeated Omega and his little shadow Ultima. Now what do we do?" I asked once we were all functioning normally again and now ready to continue down our list in 'Five Steps to Defeating Sin!'

"We need better weapons," Wakka answered, crossing his arms. "Any idea where to look?"

"Rin might have some things. He's usually pretty good at picking up unique weapons and armors," Rikku said, scratching her cheek in thought.

"And O'aka would probably have a few odds and ends for us. He owes me since I'm always giving him money for his business," I contributed, rolling my eyes a bit.

"Also, if we can't find anything good, then we can always make our own weapons with supplies we have now," Lulu pointed out from her corner.

"Okay then. We'll start with the merchants, and if they don't have anything then we'll just make them ourselves. Agreed?" Yuna asked, looking around at us all.

"Agreed," we all said.

"Good. Then let's get started."

* * *

Rin was onboard the ship so I offered to seek him out since I wanted to show him how fluent I had become in Al Bhed. He was hanging out on the top deck when I found him.

"Hey, Rin! Long time no see!" I greeted in Al Bhed when I saw him.

Rin spun around to see who had spoken, and his green eyes widened when he saw it was me.

"Tidus! I see you have well learned our tongue," he said, beaming.

I nodded happily. "Easy, once you know the trick!"

Rin studied me for a few minutes before shaking his head with a soft smile. "To think the day would come, that we could talk so; it is joyous indeed."

"It is pretty impressive," I agreed, thinking of the strained and hateful relationship the Al Bhed seemed to have with the rest of the world.

"Here, a present to congratulate your success. Underdog's Secret," he said, pulling out a small purple pouch from his bag.

"Thank you!" I said, taking it. "This will be useful in our upcoming battle against Sin."

He just smiled; white teeth a sharp contrast against his dark skin. "If there's anything I can help you with in the future, just ask."

"Well, I could use a look at your merchandise. We need better weapons and armor for the battle," I explained to the Al Bhed man.

"Of course! I would be happy to help," Rin said, waving me over to where he was currently holding shop.

Rikku was right. Rin did have a lot of unique stuff. After going through the piles meticulously I found a new weapon for Rikku (something called the Godhand); two rings for Yuna (one with a lot of magical protection, and another that would boost her magic); and finally a fancy bangle for Lulu to also boost her magic up.

"I think this is about it," I said once I had everything I needed. "So how much do I owe ya?"

Rin shook his head and pushed my hand away when I reached for my money pouch. "Nothing."

I stared at him. "What?"

"Consider them a gift. You are going up against Sin to save us all. Charging you just wouldn't be ethical," he explained with a smile.

My eyes softened and I reached out to clasp his hand in mine tightly. "You're a good guy, Rin. I'm glad we met."

"As am I, my friend," he said, squeezing back. "And I hope that, when it's all over, we _will_ meet again."

I just gave him a sad smile, picked up my stuff, and then turned around and walked away.

_Goodbye, Rin._

* * *

O'aka was staying in Bevelle so we had to turn around and head back there. Cid wasn't thrilled when he heard that ("I'm not your goddamn personal cab!"), but he relented when Yuna explained things. I also think he had a hard time saying no to the only child of his deceased sister. And females in general. But that's just me.

During the trip there I spent my time trying to get Yojimbo to open up to me. I had made friends with most of my aeons and had heard nearly all their stories. Yojimbo and the Magus Sisters were the only two who I hadn't really connected with yet. I was planning to change that though.

_Yojimbo?_ I called out as I ate my lunch along with the others. I never would have imagined that Wakka of all people could cook some damn good cuisine.

There was a moment of silence before I felt the fayth turn his attention to me. **Yes, Tidus? Are you in need of my services?**

_Nah, I just wanted to talk._

**Talk?** Yojimbo sounded taken back. **About what?**

_Well, how about why you become a fayth? Was it out of love, or duty like the others? Or did you do it to escape the pain of living?_

**I… I did not choose to become a fayth. I was forced to by my elder brother. **

I dropped the piece of sushi I was in the middle of finishing. Next to me Rikku asked something, but I didn't hear what it was. _What? You were __**forced**__ to become a fayth? By your own brother?_

**Yes. You see, Kakei—that was his name—was a man obsessed with power and prestige. He would do anything to achieve it. Even offer up his own brother to the Church as a fayth,** he explained with no emotion in his tone.

_And you just went along with it?_ I asked, trying to understand his point of view. _Why?_

**Because… I was weak. He was the only family I had left and I would have done anything to make him proud of me. To make him love me.**

I flinched. There was a bitter edge to his voice that was very familiar. I had heard it in my own voice many times.

**I was too naïve to see the reality, **he continued on in the same tone. **He never showed even a hint of acceptance after my ascension to a fayth. And I was a fool to believe otherwise.**

_No you weren't!_ I yelled at him, suddenly angry. _There_ _is nothing wrong wanting the love of someone you love yourself. We all have those feelings at some point in our life. I know that when I was a kid, if there was even the smallest chance that I could make my parents show me even a hint of affection, then I would have done anything to make that chance reality._

… **Your parents did not love you?** Yojimbo asked, sounding surprised.

I smiled faintly. _In their own way, I'm sure they did. They just never showed it. They were too self-absorbed I'm afraid. And I bet your brother was the same way. He probably loved you very much; only he didn't realize it until later. People who are selfish usually don't realize how much they've harmed others until they wised up._

**Do you really think so?**

_Why not? What do ya got to lose by believing you were loved?_

**At this point, nothing I suppose.**

_Exactly. All my life I spent my time hating my parents. It's only recently that I've come to realize how pointless it all was. Especially since one is dead and gone and the other is living in as close as you can get to a mortal version of hell._

**Hate and love are a double sided blade,** Yojimbo said thoughtfully. **Perhaps you're right. Perhaps it is time to let things end. Especially since my own existence is coming to its end.**

_I ag—_

"Tidus!"

My head snapped to the side and I blinked wildly at the girl next to me who had just yelled in my ear. "Huh? What?"

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes," Rikku huffed. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm just thinking deeply about something," I explained quickly.

The Al Bhed girl just huffed again.

**Tidus, I think we should continue this discussion at another time. One when your companions are not around,** Yojimbo advised.

_Good idea,_ I thought back as Rikku started chattering again. I tried my best to follow along and speak to the fayth in my head. Not an easy trick to pull off. _I'll talk to you later then?_

**Indeed.** Yojimbo paused for a moment, and I could feel him debating over something before finally saying, **And I will… ponder over what we have talked about. I believe something can be learned from it. For both of us.**

_You're right. There probably is. Let me know when you find it,_ I said with a smirk, and turned my complete attention back to my friends.

The last thing I heard from the fayth before he left was a stifled chuckle of amusement. And oddly enough, that chuckle was a nice sound to hear.

* * *

O'aka turned out to be a challenge to find. Not only was Bevelle big and crowded, but it was also filled with anxious, worried people who weren't sure what to believe in anymore. For the record, people like that aren't too interested in helping you find missing merchants.

Eventually we decided to split up since it would make things easier and go by faster. The guardians were a bit wary of the idea, but Yuna and I convinced them we would be fine on our own. It wasn't like we were _really_ alone after all. We did have our aeons.

I was assigned to look around the south-west part of the city, which I did without complaint. I was there for about thirty minutes with no luck in spotting O'aka, but I did run into someone else just as important to me.

"Tidus!"

I looked around when I heard my name being yelled, and spotted a familiar pointy hat making its way to me. A smile immediately crept onto my lips.

"Shelinda!" I greeted, making my way over to meet her halfway. When she was close enough I swept her up into a hug that lifted her off of her feet, and swung her around in a circle.

"Tidus!" she shrieked with giggles, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "Tidus, stop! Put me down, please!"

I swung her around a few more times before I did as requested. She kept giggling even when she was set back down on her feet, and struggled to make herself look presentable again. Of course, with that hat she was wearing she failed marvelously, but at least she tried.

"What was that for?" she asked once she was satisfied.

I shrugged and folded my arms behind my head. "No reason. Just happy to see you're okay. Yuna told me you refused to leave the city with her, so I was a bit worried about what happened to you."

Shelinda blushed slightly but still managed to smile. "I'm sorry to make you worry, but I've been fine. I wish I could say that for the rest of Spira."

"Yeah, I heard there were problems. What exactly has happened?"

"Everything is a mess. All of Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they even called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"

I couldn't help but snort at that. Shelinda? Captain of the _guard_? That must've been Kinoc's doing.

"I'm so nervous and unsure," she continued, that familiar wrinkle in her brow returning as she fretted. "I don't know what to do. I've never been in charge of anyone before, and I know next to nothing about being a guard! I'm the wrong person for this and I just know I'm going to screw everything up—"

I stopped Shelinda in her speech of self-doubt by putting my hand gently against her mouth. Meeting her wide brown eyes with my own, I said sternly, "Shelinda, stop worrying so much over every little thing while putting yourself down, and grow a backbone, _please_. I know you're not the most qualified person for your job, and hell yeah there are other people who would be better suited for your role, but none of that matters now. The maesters chose _you_ for this and now you have to do your job to the best of your abilities. You may make mistakes and it might take some getting used to, but in the end I believe you can do it. You are capable of doing this; you just have to apply yourself now."

Soft honey-brown eyes watered as I removed my hand and took a step back in unease. I hadn't meant to make my friend cry; I was just trying to get her to see that she wasn't as pathetic as she believed herself to be.

_Crap, I hurt her feelings. Now what? Damn, where's a woman when you need one?_ I thought anxiously, looking around for one of my female companions. They would probably know how to handle this better than me.

It turned out though that I didn't need help. Before I could speak, Shelinda launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my chest and quietly cried into my collarbone.

"Thank you," she murmured in her light voice. "Thank you for believing in me, Tidus. You are truly a good friend."

Awkwardly, I patted her on the back and tried to ignore the stares that the passing people were giving us. "Uh, you're welcome, Shelinda. Really. Glad to be of help."

I tolerated her crying and hugging for a few more minutes as well as a man walking to his public execution in the town square. Eventually, after she soaked up the front of my shirt with her tears, did she finally pull away.

"I'm sorry for springing that on you," she hiccupped, wiping her eyes clear. "I know it must've been an uncomfortable thing to bear."

I gave her a half smile and waved a dismissive hand. "Hey, it's fine. No harm done."

_Except to my masculinity._

Shelinda giggled like she knew **exactly** what I was thinking. "You are a good person, Tidus. I'm so happy I met you, and I'm even happier that I got the chance to know you. I hope that… after all of this is over, we'll still be friends."

I softened when she said that. Without thinking too much about it (because I knew that if I did then I would hesitate), I reached out and pulled her into a loose embrace.

"No matter what happens, you will always be my friend, Shelinda," I whispered into her ear.

She gasped softly before relaxing and wrapping her arms back around me. Neither of us said anything else for the rest of our time together.

Shelinda was a good person. Naïve, and perhaps a bit closed-minded, but still a good and kind girl at heart. And those kinds of people are hard to find. I was going to honestly miss her.

_Goodbye, Shelinda._

* * *

After meeting Shelinda I ran into Kimahri, who was sent to find me since the others had already found O'aka. He was hanging out in the south-east part of the city with a little stand set up with his merchandise on display.

When I got there O'aka was in the middle of haggling with Lulu over one of those dolls she used in battle to focus her magic through. The one she was trying to get now looked like an orange and yellow knight.

"5500."

"2500."

"4750."

"3550."

"Deal!"

I watched, bemused, as Lulu handed over the Gil to the beaming merchant with a roll of her eyes, and stuffed her doll into her bag before he started demanding more.

"O'aka, I hope you're nor cheating my friends," I called out, walking over to the man.

The merchant looked up and blinked at me innocently. "What? Me, cheat a customer? Pff, I'd never do such a thing."

"Uh-huh." I gave him a skeptic look and then turned to my friends. "We have everything we need?"

"Pretty much. Unless you still need to get something," answered Gatta.

I shook my head. "Nope, I'm good."

"Then we should get going. We still have a few more things to get," advised Lulu, already walking off.

I nodded and then turned back to the merchant watching us. Against my will, my eyes softened. "Hey, O'aka… thanks for everything. You've been a big help."

O'aka blinked at me before smiling widely. "Aye, if anyone should be thankin' someone it should be me. You've been a big help too with your patronage." Here he paused and then suddenly smirked roguishly. "Speakin' of which, think you can spare some Gil?"

I laughed and dug around my pockets until my hand folded over the cool coin. Pulling it out, I flicked it to him and he caught with a grin.

"Don't ever change, O'aka," I said before waving farewell as I left with my friends.

O'aka waved back with gusto, calling out as we got farther away, "I'll make it worth your while someday, lad! Just wait and see; O'aka XXIII merchant extraordinaire will be famous yet!"

I just laughed again and kept waving until he disappeared in the crowds.

_Goodbye, O'aka._

* * *

I had one last friend to visit before leaving Bevelle for good.

While my friends spoke to a few more merchants over some armors and weapons, I snuck away after telling Gatta that I was going to perform a quick errand. Ten minutes later I was standing in front of the doors to Bevelle's palace.

"I wish to speak to Maester Kelk," I told the guards standing there.

The guard standing to the right sneered at me slightly. "The maester is busy and unable to meet with peons. Come back another time."

I narrowed my eyes slightly at the stuck-up jerk. "Tell him Summoner Tidus is here to see him and then let him decide if he can't see me or not."

The guard stared at me mutely before rolling his eyes and nodding to his partner standing on the other side of the doors. That guard took off inside to, I could only hope, deliver my message.

I spent the time it took for the guard to come back having a glaring match with the remaining guard. When the guy eventually got back, he looked a little stunned.

"T-The maester will see you, sir," he stuttered, staring at me in a curious sort of shock. "Please follow me."

I gave the pompous guard (who looked as shocked as his partner) a smug smirk and then followed the other one into the palace. He led me through the dizzying corridors before stopping in front of a set of doors. He knocked twice before I heard a familiar voice grant him permission to come in.

He opened the door and motioned for me to follow him inside. I did and found myself in a simple but classy office with Kelk sitting behind a desk covered in papers and books.

"Kitty!" I greeted cheerfully, making my way over to him. The guard let out a choked gasp and sounded like he was having trouble breathing. I tried not to feel too good over his reaction.

"Tidus," he greeted in return, standing up to meet me. He looked more tired and weary than the last time I saw him; a mark of the trials he was enduring to keep Spira together. But when he saw me he broke out into a smile, and that made me happy to see.

"You may leave," he said to the guard before turning back to me. "What do I owe the pleasure of such a visit? I thought you would be busy with your companions preparing to face Sin."

"Actually, that's the reason that I'm here. I came to say goodbye," I answered.

Kelk's pupils widened in a gesture that I had come to learn were the Ronsos way of showing surprise. "Goodbye? Whatever for?"

"Because I'm going to be going up against Sin soon and… I'm probably not going to come back," I explained softly.

Kelk's face did not change. "I see."

"So I wanted to say thank you for helping me and being my friend. It really was an honor to meet you," I finished, straining to give him a believable smile.

"Tidus, the honor was all mine," he replied in a gentle tone.

"Damn straight."

The brought a smile to his face. Reaching out, he me pulled me into a warm hug that I returned desperately.

"You are a good child, Tidus," he murmured to me.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. I'm a bratty one that hates his father and nearly allowed his good friend to go in his place to defeat Sin."

Kitty just chuckled. "No, you _are_ a good child, Tidus."

I just tightened my grip on his robes even more, and tried not to cry.

_Goodbye, Kelk._

* * *

We left Bevelle and got back to the airship at night; all of us tired but pleased since we now had all of our supplies, weapons and armors for the battle. We all agreed that tomorrow we would face Sin for the final time.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day," Lulu advised me when I passed her in the hall.

I nodded. "I will. Just got to talk to Auron before I do."

She raised an eyebrow but nodded and continued on her way. I went on until I got to Auron's room and walked inside without knocking.

My guardian was sitting on his bed reading a book. He didn't look at me as I closed and locked the door behind me.

"You need to learn to knock before you enter a room," he commented, turning a page.

"Why? What good would it do me now?" I pointed out, walking over and pulling out a chair to sit on. "I want to ask you something important."

He grunted in a positive manner so I took that as a 'sure, ask away.'

I did.

"Sleep with me."

"No."

"Why not?" I whined, trying not to stomp my foot in agitation.

"That's why. You're too young," he deadpanned, and then went back to his book.

I growled and stomped over to him and jerked his book out of his hands. "Damnit, Auron, listen to me! I am not too young to have sex. I know people a lot younger than me who already did it, and I'm actually pretty proud of myself for waiting this long. There were a lot of times I could've done it but I didn't. And do you know why?"

"I don't care."

"Because I wanted it to be special," I continued, ignoring his comment. "And what is more special than doing it with the guy you're in love with?"

Auron just stared at me in disbelief. "What are you, a fourteen-year-old girl? Why are you so obsessed with this _now_?"

"Because tomorrow I'm going to die and I would rather not go out as a virgin," I explained simply. I cocked my head to the side and stared at him. "So? How 'bout it?"

"Unsent don't have sexual intercourse," he answered flatly.

I glared at him and resisted the urge to throw something at his head. Preferably something large, heavy and pointy...

_Like a sword._

I eyed up the huge blade resting against the trunk at the end of the bed. Then dismissed it since with my luck he would probably get to it before I did.

_Damn. Back to square one._

I had never seduced someone before in my life, and I have never really seen anyone do it before either. I've seen people flirt and charm their ways into others' beds, but I don't think that's really the same thing as seducing someone. And even then, I don't think giggling and batting my eyelashes was going to win Auron over. If anything, he'd probably dump me.

_Hmm… maybe I should try manipulation… _

Inspiration suddenly struck me, and I tried not to grin or cackle since it would ruin everything.

"Seymour didn't seem to think so," I said casually, waiting for a reaction.

He didn't disappoint. His face turned dark and vicious and I mentally patted myself on the back for my mad, _mad_ guessing skills.

_Hello jealousy. Thy name is Auron._

"Do not put me in the same league as that pathetic fool," he practically growled.

I blinked at him innocently. "I wasn't. I was just pointing out that _he_ wanted me and wasn't afraid to make a move."

Auron glared at me for a few more minutes before his expression suddenly changed into one of comprehension. Then he was smirking at me and shaking his head.

"Brat, how many times have I told you that pretending to bullshit me has never been convincing, nor funny?" he asked.

Shit. He had figured it out. So much for manipulation.

"Tch, just give me time. I'll succeed yet."

"Don't count on it."

I pouted but didn't say anything more as I tried to think of a new way to get laid. Turns out I didn't have to because the next thing out of Auron's mouth was:

"Is this what you really want?"

_Hell yeah!_ is what I thought but I had enough sense not to shout it out. I could recognize that Auron was serious about this and treating it with my usual humor would be both insulting and stupid.

"I don't think that there's anything I ever wanted more," I told him after thinking it over for a moment. "Well, no, okay, there are things I want more but they're unachievable. But this… this isn't."

"And is that why you want it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gave him an offended look. "Do you really think I'm that childish?"

The fact that he actually paused to think about it kind of pissed me off, but his answer more than made up for it.

"No," he said, taking off his glasses and holding out a hand to me. "Come here."

I went more than willingly.

* * *

Sex for the first time isn't as grand as they make it out to be in books and movies. It's actually awkward, frustrating and a bit embarrassing. Especially when your partner and you keep arguing over the stupidest stuff that have really no point whatsoever. Case to point:

"Did you just… giggle?"

"I did not giggle. Unsent do not giggle. _I_ do not giggle."

"You did! You giggled!"

"I did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Look, if you don't shut the hell up then I'm throwing you out into the hall just the way you are now."

"… Fine."

"Good."

"…"

"…"

"… You still giggled."

See what I mean?

But all in all it was pretty nice. Being with Auron in such a way, I mean. It made me feel complete and stuff. And good. But then that's kind of the point of sex isn't it? To feel good. And procreate of course, but I don't think that counted in our case.

After it all I couldn't move so Auron took pity on me and let me stay with him in his bed. I expressed my gratitude with a big, wet kiss. He expressed his by stealing the blanket and pushing me off the bed.

"You fucker," I growled once I crawled my way back onto the bed. "That was low, even for you."

"Like you weren't expecting it," he scoffed. "Now be quiet and go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

Involuntarily, I flinched at his reminder that we were going after Sin tomorrow. For a moment, I had forgotten the whole reason why I had sought Auron out in the first place. Because tomorrow…

Tomorrow… I was going to fight and defeat Sin.

Tomorrow… I was going to kill my old man.

Tomorrow… I was going to die.

"Auron," I whispered, reaching out blindly for him. My hand came across his hand and I linked our fingers together tightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Tomorrow it all ends," I said, ignoring his question. "Are you afraid?"

"No," he answered, not even bothering to think about the question. "I'm ready to accept my fate. I've been putting it off for ten years. No more."

"I wish I could feel so certain. I'm terrified of facing tomorrow," I admitted.

"You'll be ready when the time comes," he reassured. "Now go to sleep. Seriously. We both need it."

I grunted and scooted closer to him. Then, because it just seemed right, I said, "I love you."

"Tch. I love you too, brat."

I smiled and closed my eyes and tried not to think about what the morning would bring.

_Tomorrow… it all ends._


	20. Part III: Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the inventive **Square Enix**.

* * *

**P**art** III**:** C**hapter** E**ight

* * *

It was finally time to confront Sin.

I would like to explain what I was feeling or thinking during that time, but to be honest I can't really remember. All I remember was feeling very patient and composed. A bit like the calm before a storm. Or the eye of a hurricane. Just cool, calm and collected.

It scared my friends.

"Why don't you look more… concerned?" Rikku pestered me, tugging on my arm.

I shrugged. "I am concerned. Very concerned. Really."

"Could've fooled me," Gatta muttered.

I pretended not to hear his comment and turned to Cid, who was watching me with a speculative look.

"Well, this is it, eh?" he remarked, scratching his cheek in an eerily similar way that Rikku did whenever she was thinking hard about something.

I nodded. "Yu Yevon is hiding somewhere inside Sin, and we're gonna find him."

"Well, that sounds pretty simple."

I smirked. "Hey! Simple is the way you like it, right?"

Cid returned my smirk. "You got that right."

"Pops! I'm countin' on you!" Rikku chimed in.

"Right, got you covered!" The Al Bhed leader turned and flicked a switch that started broadcasting the Hymn of the Fayth from the ship's speakers. "How's that?"

Rikku squealed. "Oh, right on!"

We all listened to it for awhile, soothed by the serene melody.

"A singing ship in the sky," Lulu murmured in wonder.

"I hope everyone got the message," Wakka added with concern.

Brother suddenly stood up from his station and pointed ahead. "Sin!"

We all looked ahead through the screen and, sure enough, Sin was making its way towards us.

_He_ had heard the Hymn.

"All right, we're going in," I announced, cracking my knuckles.

"How we gonna get inside?" Wakka asked.

I gave him a look like it was obvious. "The easy way! How else?"

Rikku snorted. "Figures."

"Well? Let's go!" Lulu said impatiently, running (and bouncing) her way to the door.

Everyone dashed off after her and I was about to follow too when Cid called out to me.

"Hey, how you plan on getting inside?" he asked.

I paused and gave him a thoughtful look. "If we can't get through the mouth, we'll rip open a new one. You with me?"

He cackled. "Now that's what I call a plan!"

"Father! I know what to use!" Brother called in Al Bhed from the controls.

Cid looked over to what his son was talking about and then began to grin madly. "Aha! Of course!"

He turned back around to face me. "All right! We'll give that thing a new blowhole. All you gotta do is jump!"

"Roger!"

"I won't tell ya to be careful. Instead, do your worst, kiddo!" Cid ordered, nodding to me.

I grinned. "Roger!"

"Wait!" Brother suddenly called out, straightening up and turning to face me. I looked at him curiously and then in surprise when he cleared his throat and spoke haltingly, "Rikku, you… guard."

I smirked and gave him a two-fingered salute. "Will do!"

* * *

We all gathered on the outer hull of the airship; each trying not to get blown down by the harsh wind.

"I can hear the song!" Rikku said in excitement, trying to hop up and down and not fly off the ship at the same time.

Lulu nodded next to her. "Yes, I can hear the Hymn, too."

"They actually listened to us," Gatta murmured in wonder.

I nodded. "And we won't let them down."

"Hey, guys? Guys?" Wakka called, staring straight ahead. "That's not good, ya?"

We all looked to see what he was talking about and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Sin suddenly floating there. It let out a shockwave that sent us all to our knees and didn't allow us to get back up. We could all only watch as Sin created a sphere of energy that started sucking everything in. Then it released a discharge of energy that drove a huge tunnel through the ocean and land.

Silence reigned as we all got up and looked around, dazed and confused. It was Rikku who finally noticed what we had all missed.

"Huh? Hmm? WHOA!" she yelled.

We all looked to see what she was talking about, and saw just in time as all that power Sin had gathered up suddenly explodes outward; nearly catching us in the explosion. We all hit the ground again as the ship was rocked by the power.

"Damn you, old man…" I muttered once it was calm (again), picking myself up only to find Sin nose to nose with ship. Again.

"Hey, I saw somethin' shine on the base of Sin's arm! I reckon it's a weak spot!" Cid said over the ship's intercom.

"Shoot!" Brother's voice also echoed over the intercom.

"What, what?" Cid asked in Al Bhed.

"We are pulled by Sin!" Brother replied in the same language.

I cursed violently and Rikku gasped.

"Sin's pulling us in!" she translated for the others when they asked what was wrong.

"Everyone, back inside!" Cid ordered.

"Too late! It comes!" Brother cried.

Thus began to epic fight against the armpits of Sin.

* * *

Our first fight against Sin armpits went pretty much like this:

Us: Attack!

Sin: Roar!

Us: Yeah! We took out the armpit!

Cid: Shoots off arm.

Us: Onto the next arm!

And that's how it went down. After we took out Sin's arms we ran into some technical difficulties though.

"Yeehaw! Where next?" Cid cheered over the intercom.

"It is over!" Brother's mournful voice disagreed in Al Bhed.

"What? We have only begun!" Cid yelled.

"But the main gun, it is broken!" Brother explained.

"Th-That cannot be!" Cid cursed.

Rikku groaned while I translated for the others, "The main gun is busted."

"Dang it! All right, back inside! Time for another plan!" Cid ordered us once he was done cursing.

I quickly shot down that idea. "No! We're going in! Every blitzer knows: when you got the ball, you gotta score!"

The others stared at me and then at each other, unsure and a bit hesitant. Finally Auron chuckled and shook his head while giving me a fond look.

"Foolhardy… But a fun plan," he said before turning around and running to the front of the ship and jumped off.

"Hey! Star players first!" I squawked, running after him.

I didn't have to look to know that the others had followed after us.

After that we found ourselves fighting with this weird stuff on Sin's head… or in its mouth. Whatever. It was kind of hard to tell. There wasn't exactly a chart explaining the anatomy of Sin available.

It wasn't a very hard battle. Compared to the others we had faced, it was actually pretty easy. The only big challenge was jumping off of Sin and back onto the airship. That's not very easy when Sin is making a nosedive to the ground and the ship is struggling just to catch up.

But somehow we all managed to safely get onto the airship just before Sin plowed into the outskirts of Bevelle; creating a spectacle of dust and smoke. We all watched it and released a collective sigh of relief when Sin didn't get back up.

With Sin down (for the moment) we retreated to the bridge of the airship to plan our next move. There, Cid and Brother were waiting for us with big grins.

"Rikku, excellent!" Brother cheered in Al Bhed.

"But it's going to come back, isn't it?" Yuna asked me softly but everyone heard her.

I nodded. "Yeah, it is. And it will keep coming back until we beat the guy inside of Sin."

Rikku groaned slightly while Gatta wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Wakka chuckled slightly at their reactions. "The Crusaders would be out of a job if it was this easy, ya?"

"But it has weakened. I'm sure of it," Lulu pointed out.

"So we're winning?" Gatta asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. We're ahead right now."

"All right then; I'll do what I can with the main gun. The rest of you take a break for now. You've earned it," Cid ordered before turning to leave and work on repairs.

We didn't try to argue. It was true after all. We really did need a break to heal, rest, gather some more supplies, and fix our weapons and/or armors.

I spent the break sitting down next to Kimahri in the bridge talking to the Magus Sisters. They were the last aeons I had gotten so I didn't really have the time to forge a bond with them like I had with the others. However that didn't mean I couldn't at least _try_ and make some sort of connection with them.

_Sandy, Cindy, Mindy,_ I called to them. _You guys got a minute?_

**For you, sugar, of course,** Cindy purred as she and her companions turned their attention to me.

**Is there something you need?** Sandy asked with a more serious tone.

_Nah. Just want to talk to you guys a bit. You know, get to know you all a little better before we all croak._

**Talk? About what?** Sandy asked with a bit of suspicion.

_How about your pasts? Or why you guys became a fayth? _

**We became a fayth after our village was destroyed in order to avenge our lost families and friends, and as a way to never lose one another,** Mindy answered quietly, surprising me. She had a very soft and young voice.

**The rest does not matter,** Sandy added in form tone. **Our pasts are gone and have no meaning to our lives now.**

_What?_ I asked, not believing what I was hearing. _How can your pasts not matter to you? Isn't it your pasts that make up who you are as a person?_

Cindy let out a sultry chuckle. **He's got you there, Sand.**

Sandy said nothing but I knew that she was thinking over what I said.

I wanted to talk to the Magus Sisters some more but I'm afraid time and Sin were not on my side. Rikku, who was watching our resident monster, suddenly let out a shriek and jumped behind Gatta for safety.

"Guys, something's happening to Sin!" she cried, pointing a finger out the window at the great lump in the horizon.

We all got up and watched as Sin rose from its prostate position on the ground and somehow sprouted wings to prop itself on a tower in Bevelle. The point or meaning of this action was completely lost on us all.

No one knew what to say over this… bizarre change so we were all quiet and just stared in wonder at Sin until Cid came bursting back into the room wearing a scowl.

"Cid, what's the report on the main gun?" I asked him, tearing my eyes away from the beast to face the Al Bhed man.

"Still busted. We can't give you any cover fire, son," he said seriously, eyes searching mine.

I smirked and tossed my head back in a lackadaisical salute. "Just take us in. We'll do the rest."

Cid smirked right back. "All right. Take us up, flush to the mouth! Time to end this!"

* * *

We all gathered back on the outer hull of the airship and waited as Sin pushed itself off of the tower and came nose to nose with us over Bevelle.

We had to go through yet another battle with another body part of Sin (this time I think it was the nose) before Sin opened itself up and allowed us entry. God forbid it did that in the first place and just let us in without a struggle.

The inside of Sin was… strange. It was kind of like the Farplane only with a blue-light sort of theme to it. The freakiest part of the whole experience was the glimpse of a familiar silver eye and a dark chuckle that made my skin break out into goose bumps.

"Okay, my luck cannot be _that_ bad," I muttered to myself as the airship finally landed on a watery space of land. For the sake of my gag reflex, I tried not to think about what part of the body we were now in inside of my old man.

We all jumped off of the ship and onto the wet ground. As Rikku yelled out orders to her father, I took the moment to look around and figure out where Jecht could possibly be.

Finally I decided to just do it the old fashion way and yelled for him. "Dad! Where are you?"

"We must go to him," Auron explained before I could yell myself hoarse.

I nodded. "Then we will. Let's move!"

Exploring Sin was kind of like playing a videogame. There were levels, puzzles and monsters around as we tried to find the main boss. Only there was no reset button or save sphere around to guarantee our success. We had to rely on our own luck and abilities to get through the strange and somewhat fantastical new world inside of Sin.

About two hours into our walk through Sinland we came across a very familiar person waiting to get in our way, and generally make a pest out of himself.

"Seymour," I sighed, bracing my hands on my hips. I didn't if I should laugh or cry. "Don't you ever give up?"

Seymour cackled and raised up his hands to stare at them with mad, mad eyes. "Sin has chosen me. I am part of Sin. I am one with Sin, forever. Immortal!" he whispered before breaking out into another cackle.

I shook my head. "Sin has just absorbed you."

"I will learn to control it, from within. I have all the time in the world. Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca… the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone. Now nothing can stop us!" he cried, beginning to dissolve into blue air between four huge discs.

"Wanna a bet?" Rikku muttered.

"By all means, try! You should thank me. Your death means your father's life!" he yelled.

"If anyone is going to take my father down then it will be me," I said quietly, unsheathing my sword and getting ready for my (hopefully) last fight against Seymour.

* * *

There were no tricks this time; no surprise special moves or creepy multiple forms that could wipe us all out in a matter of minutes. This battle was purely a magic one with Seymour wielding enough power to light half of Zanarkand.

I think the four disks he hovered between probably had something to do with his unlimited amount of magic. I know that they were certainly linked since after a couple of rounds we finally began to notice that it was the disks that determined which four level-three spells he would cast at us. We also figured out that after each attack, the disks rotated so a new spell was used, and if each color is the same, the spells increased in power. And since all the disks were all facing the same way at the start of the battle…

Yeah. Ouch.

But on the other hand, while the disks made Seymour more powerful, they also revealed his weakness. Lulu figured out that whichever side was furthest away from him when he attacked was Seymour's magical weakness.

So with that in mind Yuna and I agree that the best way to handle the ball of air was to summon the corresponding elemental aeon to use against the bastard. This worked fine until we ran out of elemental aeons to combat against him. Apparently they couldn't hold up against Seymour's Ultima.

"He's not going to run out of magic is he?" I asked Auron as we watched Ixion collapse into a heap of pyreflies.

"No. We need to use another tactic. Is Anima in overdrive?" he muttered, shoving me back behind him with his shoulder to avoid an icicle.

"I think so. Why?"

"I'm going to use Armor Break on him. Once I do have Anima use her overdrive. If my guess is right then her Oblivion should take him out."

"And if you're not?"

"Then we wasted five minutes. What's your point?"

I shook my head. "Right. Well let's try it."

To my astonishment, Auron's plan actually worked. Anima's Oblivion was the final blow that brought him down for good. The four discs around him shuddered and then shattered and Seymour became physical again.

Defeated, he stumbled backwards before falling to his knees. "No!"

"Yes," I disagreed softly, already beginning to perform a sending.

Seymour watched me with eyes torn between the colors of violet and silver. He looked like he did as a child back in that dome in Zanarkand; begging his mother not to leave him but knowing that it was inevitable.

"So it is you, after all, who will send me," he whispered as he dissolved into pyreflies. "But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail."

I shook my head. "You're wrong. Spira's sorrow ends today."

And then Seymour Guado, Anima's tortured son, was just… gone.

"We did it Anima. We saved your son," I whispered, knowing from the burning pain inside of my chest that the fayth was aware of what had transpired, and was now mourning for the son she had to destroy.

* * *

After Seymour we had to slog through some more places, fiends and annoying puzzles before finally getting to a place that made me pause.

"This place… it looks like Zanarkand. Does that mean we're getting closer to him?" I asked Auron.

He shrugged. "Possibly. Let's keeping going and see where it takes us."

So we went on. Following the main path took us deeper and deeper into the replica of my home until we finally came to a dead end. It wasn't a waste though because standing at that end, with his back facing us, was Jecht.

When I saw him I froze and slowly the others stopped too. I stared mutely at the tanned and muscular back as my heart began to pick up speed and my hands began to get sweaty. For a moment, everyone and everything was silent. And then… _he_ finally spoke.

"You're late, Auron," he said slowly in his gruff voice.

"I know," Auron replied, and I could hear the hint of a smile in his voice.

Jecht slowly turned around to face us all. He didn't look a day older than from how I remembered him. Still the same tall, broad and tanned man with a mane of spiky dark hair and too many tattoos. His dark eyes slid over everyone with a detached curiosity before finally settling on me. There was a flood of emotions that swept through those dark depths before they froze into two perfect ebony marbles.

"Hey," he greeted, waving one hand.

"Hi," I returned, my voice nothing more than a squeak.

Jecht let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! You got tall, but you're all bones! You eating right, boy?" He shook his head and his face softened. "You've really grown."

"Yeah, but you're still bigger," I pointed out, feeling like a child.

He smirked. "Well, I am Sin, you know."

I flinched. "That's not funny."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture of nervousness. "Well, then… I mean… you know." He shrugged and cracked his knuckles. "Let's end this."

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing would come out. God, why couldn't I make myself talk to him? I had so many things I thought I wanted to say to him but now that I actually had him here in front of me… I couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Dad?" I finally managed to whisper.

"Yeah?"

I wanted to say 'I love you,' or 'I forgive you,' but all that came out was, "I hate you."

Jecht chuckled. I think he knew what I was trying to say. "I know, I know… You know what you have to do."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Jecht turned to his right and stared out at the distance. "I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though… When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."

_Stop it. Stop talking, please!_

"That's enough," I gasped, straining to get my voice to work. "Let's finish this, okay?"

"You're right. Well, then… Let's go!"

Jecht crossed his arms in front of his chest in the shape of an X, calling from inside of him some blue-purple power that he formed into a ball and thrust in his chest. I could only watch as he—_DAD!_—fell back.

"_I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye…"_

"_Jecht… he loved you…"_

"_He __**loved**__ you…"_

"_Daddy!"_

"Nooo!"

Epiphanies have the oddest timing. Seeing Jecht transform himself into a monster made me realize how much I wanted to save him. That's why I suddenly started screaming for him and lunged out to grab him. There were yells, gasps and a scream from my party, but they were all fuzzy and strangely muted in my ears. All I could hear, all I could see, was Jecht as he fell back and out of my reach… and into Braska's Final Aeon.

Jecht was an impressive aeon. He looked like a giant bear-dog thingy while maintaining some of his own personal traits. Like his tattoo, bandana, sword and hair style. And as he roared and growled above me, I stared up at him with a bitter smile and unsheathed my sword.

"I promise this'll be quick," I muttered as my friends joined me at my side. "Hit me with all you got, dad!"

* * *

I found out something interesting during that battle against my old man.

Apparently even as a 12-foot aeon Jecht still had the ability to piss me off just by being himself. How you ask? Well, because he was a pain in the ass to fight!

Not only did he have two powerful monstrous forms (each one spikier than the one before), but he also had to have two little helpers called Yu Pagodas floating around to remove status effects and use Power Wave to heal him and increase his overdrive gauge. Little bastards. I made sure to have Gatta and Wakka take them both out early on in the battle.

Yuna and I were summoning aeons between casting protection and curing spells while our guardians unleashed all they had on my old man. Lulu and Rikku had to keep doublecasting Flare and Ultima and any other spell they could think of; Auron and Wakka kept using their Overdrives and needed buffing spells every fifteen minutes; and Kimahri and Gatta kept using Stamina Tonics on everyone between their own attacks.

Jecht met all of our attacks with his own unique assaults. Triumphant Grasp, Jecht Beam, Jecht Bomber, and Ultimate Jecht Shot were the main ones (anyone else notice a theme with these names?), and they were all annoying.

"Shit," I cursed when Gatta got hit again by the Jecht Beam and was petrified. I had to quickly cast Esuna on him before Jecht could shatter my guardian into a thousand pieces.

"We aren't making any progress," Yuna huffed next to me, struggling to stand up straight. She and the others were tiring and quickly losing their will to keep fighting. If we didn't kill the Final Aeon soon than we were the ones who were going to be facing the reaper.

I looked back at Jecht and tried to spot any potential weakness in his form. The only real thing I could see that looked vulnerable was the tattoo on his chest where he had pulled out his sword.

_To hell with it._ "Gatta, try and hit the middle of his tattoo!" I yelled to the Crusader while ducking a flying fireball from Jecht.

My guardian nodded and did as I asked. When his weapon hit the middle of the aeon's chest he let out a great roar of pain and doubled over.

"Well waddya know?" I muttered before signaling to everyone to try and hit that same spot again.

Ten minutes later Jecht dropped his sword and collapsed to the floor in a shaking heap. As he shuddered a strange black fluttery blob (Yu Yevon?) rose up from him and left. As soon as it was gone there was a giant fiery blast as the Final Aeon disappeared and left behind only Jecht.

Pyreflies fluttered around him as he staggered, looking ready to collapse. Auron was ready to run over there and catch him, but I beat him to it. I sprinted to my old man and caught him just he toddled forward. Carefully, I eased him so that he was sitting on the ground while leaning against me with my arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist tightly.

I don't think there are words to describe what I was feeling at that moment. Jecht was warm and real and _my_ _dad_. I was close enough to him that I could feel his heart as it fluttered in his chest; sounding like a frantic bird trying to escape its cage. He was shaking slightly and struggling to breathe and his eyes were slowly darkening.

He was dying.

I was going to lose my dad.

Again.

_No. No, don't leave me, dad. Don't go. Please, don't leave me again. Nononononononononono—_

"You'll cry. You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're cryin'," Jecht laughed, reaching up a hand to catch a tear on my cheek.

"I hate you," I rasped, more tears breaking through. "I hate you so much. Why do you—"

He stopped my meaningless rambles by pressing a clumsy hand against my mouth. "Save it for later," he advised.

I let out a laugh that was one-half hollow and one-half crazed. "Right… We've got a job to do, don't we?"

"Good. That's right. You are my son, after all," he said with a nod, and for the first time in my life I saw a hint of pride in his eyes.

Seeing that… and maybe seeing him like that made me realize that I was proud of him too. I was proud of Jecht and everything that he had done to try and save Spira. I was proud of my dad.

"You know… for the first time, I'm glad… to have you as my father," I told him.

"Heh… You really are a good boy," he mumbled, smiling up at me.

The black blob from earlier took that moment to reappear and buzz around us like the pesky insect it was imitating.

"You stay away!" I snarled, batting at the blob. If that fucker came within even a _foot_ of my old man…

Jecht stopped my swatting by weakly grasping my wrist. "Enough. You know what to do. The aeons…"

**Tidus, call us!** Bahamut pleaded to me in my mind.

"Call them!" my old man ordered.

**Call us! **my aeons demanded in one voice.

I had no choice but to comply. "Okay."

And then Jecht just… dissolved into pyreflies as the world turned itself inside out. When it reasserted itself, we found ourselves standing on a giant chained sword floating over an abyss that looked a lot like the Farplane. Once we got our minds together we realized that standing in front of us was the very person we had come to defeat.

Yu Yevon had no form. He (or perhaps it?) was just a mass of red and purple energy. During the course of a thousand years I guess his body and soul just couldn't handle the turmoil of summoning and powering Sin over and over again. The man who had started this whole stupid, sick cycle was gone. Now all that was left was his last desire: to summon.

I stared at the blob of energy and felt a hatred greater than anything I had ever felt in my life begin to boil in the pit of my stomach. Because of this moronic summoner countless people had lost their lives over the last one thousand years thanks to his wish to preserve the memory of an ancient city. God forbid that he dedicate all that energy and power to saving the remaining people left of that city instead of turning them into living statues.

True, without Yu Yevon's retarded idea I wouldn't exist, but to be perfectly frank at this point I didn't care about my own existence anymore. All I could think of was the fayth and their thousand years of duty and of Operation Mi'ihen where I watched Sin kill all those people.

So much sorrow. So much death. And for what? A memory?

Pointless. All so pointless.

The blur zoomed around us, making us duck so we wouldn't get hit. I wondered for a moment if the thing could possess people, and then decided that I would rather not take the chance to find out.

I looked to Yuna and found her staring at the blob with a shaky yet determined expression on her face. She met my eyes and nodded.

"Okay, guys. Let's finish this."

* * *

Summon an aeon, let it get possessed, and then send it. That was pretty much the whole strategy to our fight against Yu Yevon. Sounds easy right? Yeah, well, think again.

Don't get me wrong now. Yu Yevon wasn't anywhere near as hard to fight as Jecht, but he wasn't exactly a piece of cake either. The aeons he possessed seemed to become stronger and crazier than they were normally. That made fighting them back long enough to perform a sending pretty damn hard. Hard enough that I left the summoning and sending to Yuna and just focused on helping the guardians hold off the aeons.

We got pretty far without too much trouble. But then we ran into Yojimbo. And that's when… that's when it happened.

I was holding him off when his sword managed to pierce my stomach deeply. Not deep enough that it went straight through me, but deep enough to cause some major pain. I actually think he cut something important inside and I was probably now bleeding internally.

I hissed and pulled away, the blade sliding out freely. I held a hand against the wound and flashed the aeon an evil look. For a moment, Yojimbo actually looked apologetic but the expression gave away quickly to blind bloodlust.

I'm not stupid. The injury was fatal if left untreated. But since I was already going to disappear… well what was the point of wasting a good healing spell or potion on it?

"Are you okay?" Lulu asked me, glancing at the wound I was hiding with my hand.

"I'm fine," I lied, trying to pretend I didn't have a hole the size of my _fucking fist_ in my stomach. For the record, pulling off such an act is as hard as it sounds.

I muttered a cure spell to stop the bleeding for the moment. It wouldn't hold for long but it would be enough to get me through this last battle at least.

After Yojimbo we took out Anima before finally coming to the Magus Sisters. It was the first time I had ever seen their aeons' forms.

_They're a mantis, a ladybug, and a wasp,_ I mused before shrugging. _Well. At least they aren't a gangster samurai, or a flaming hound from hell._

When the Magus Sisters were defeated and sent the only thing left was Yu Yevon itself. The blob wasn't very hard to fight. Actually I think the aeons from before were the real challenge. It was made even easier when I noticed that it was vulnerable to zombifying attacks after Auron hit it with his Zombie Attack.

"Rikku, Gatta, throw some Phoenix Downs on the bastard!" I yelled to my guardians who quickly complied.

As soon as the Phoenix Downs hit the blob it began to steam and then melt away until there was nothing left. There weren't even any pyreflies around it to show that it had once been human. It really was just a cloud of instinct.

There was a moment of silence between all of us as we slowly absorbed the fact that we had just defeated Yu Yevon. Then Gatta let out a great sigh and threw down his weapon, and it was like a signal had gone off because then Rikku was screaming and jumping up and down while trying to hug Yuna, and Wakka cheered and lifted Lulu into a hug and swung her around. Even Kimahri and Auron wore expressions of relief and joy over our final victory.

I, on the other hand, collapsed to my knees and wrapped my arms around my stomach, and leaned over until my forehead touched the floor. I didn't want my friends to see all the blood I was leaking again and try and heal me. I didn't want them to think I was going to live when I wasn't.

I wasn't there for very long when strong arms pulled me up to lean against an armored chest. I leaned my face against the cool plate and grasped one of the arms as they wrapped around my shoulders and waist.

"Auron," I gasped, struggling to focus through the pain. It was beginning to get harder and harder to breathe. "Auron, is it…?"

"Yes," he answered, kneeling down and pulling me further into his lap. I felt him rest his face against my hair and breathe deeply. "Yes, it's over. It's finally over."

I smiled and closed my eyes and allowed my body to relax against him.

It was finally over.

Yu Yevon, Sin, Jecht… it was all over.

_About damn time too._

"Sir Auron, is he…?" Yuna's questioning voice came from somewhere off to my side. I tried not to sigh. It was time to face my friends and tell them the truth.

I struggled to open my eyes again and face my friends as they crowded around me in concern. Looking at them, I tried my best to smile and appear nonchalant. "I'm dying, Yuna. And you can't save me. No one can. Don't worry; I knew this was going to happen. Once the fayth are all gone I'll cease to exist."

"Wh-What? What does the fayth have to do with anything?" Rikku cried, kneeling down next to me. She looked torn between crying and yelling.

"Long story short, the fayth fuel my life. If they go then I go. End of story."

"But there must be a way for you to live without them!" Gatta exclaimed, his eyes growing big and fearful.

I smiled and shook my head. Then immediately regretted it since it made my head pound and my vision turn black. "No, there… there isn't. But it's okay. I knew that it was going to end like this. So… Yuna? Perform one last sending for us all."

Yuna looked hesitant but one piercing look from me and she gave in. "Very well then. Everyone stand back."

Yuna was a beautiful dancer. That was all I really managed to get during that last sending. As she danced everything began to get fuzzier and quieter. The pain from my wound began to disappear as my form began to unravel from existence.

**Tidus?** a soft voice called to me in my mind.

I struggled to focus on it. _Valefor?_

**Yes,** she assured in her child's voice. **Tidus, you did it. You destroyed Sin for good. You saved all of Spira!**

_I didn't do it alone you know,_ I reminded her. _You and the others and my friends helped a lot too._

**Yeah, but **_**you**_** started it. We could never have gotten so far if it wasn't for you,** Ixion said, sliding into the conversation.

**You saved us all, boy,** Ifrit complimented in his usual gruff voice.

**And now it's time for us to say goodbye,** Shiva said softly. **Tidus, thank you for all your help. Thank you for ending the dream for all of us.**

**Thank you for allowing all of us to finally move on,** Yojimbo clarified.

**And for freeing Spira from its cruel spiral of life and death,** added Sandy of the Magus Sisters.

**You will never know how thankful we are that you came,** Anima whispered.

And then one by one I felt each of my aeons leave me as their power died and their souls were freed from their statue prisons.

Finally there was only one aeon left within me. The one who started the whole thing.

**Tidus,** Bahamut called in his young (old) voice.

_Hmm?_

**There's something I need to tell you before I go.** **You started off in life as a dream, but when you stepped through from your Dream-Zanarkand into the real world of Spira, you became more than just a dream. You became real. I can't stop you from dying. We fayth fuel your life. Without us your life ends. But since you're now real, since you now have a soul, your life will continue through the cycle that all souls go through.**

_And… what cycle is that?_

**Rebirth.**

* * *

They say that right before you die your life flashes before your eyes. This didn't happen with me. I think being a dream had something to do with that, but that's just me making a guess.

As I lay dying I did think over my time though. I mused over how short and quick it was. Can something so short have any meaning? Can you really live what you would call a GOOD and FULL life in only seventeen years?

So I flipped through my memories like a person flipping through a photo album, and tried to find anything substantial. Anything with real meaning. And you know what? This is what I thought of:

I thought of my Zanarkand at night all lit up and buzzing with life. I thought of the stadium during my first professional game as a Zanarkand Abes, and of my uniform and the blitzball and the fans. I thought of my mom sitting in her garden with dirty hands and life blooming all around her. I thought of the day Sin attacked my beautiful Zanarkand and tore it all apart along with my life.

I thought of the dreams I shared with Bahamut, and all the different emotions I felt each time we talked. I thought of that first day I met Anima and gained her aeon and friendship. Then I thought of the times where I met Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, Bahamut, Yojimbo and the Magus Sisters. How each encounter was different but just as meaningful as the one before.

I thought of Shelinda with her pointy hat and shy but bright eyes. I thought of Kelk and his huge paws and honest expressions. I thought of Luzzu and his kind smile and determined spirit. I thought of O'aka and all of his little gadgets, and of Rin and his agencies. I thought of Cid and his ship and his people and family. Hell, I even thought of Seymour and his ever changing eyes and incomprehensible mind.

I thought of Yuna sitting at the table with her book that day back in Besaid, and of Wakka playing in that final blitzball game. I thought of Lulu when she stared at the dead image of Chappu in the Farplane, and of Kimahri when I told him I wanted to save Yuna.

I thought of Rikku standing with her people over the graves of their dead as I performed a sending for them. I thought of her expression when I told her she could come along and be my guardian.

I thought of Gatta fighting to protect Belgemine and me that first day back at the Moonflow Road, and of the day when he saw Luzzu on the Farplane.

I thought of Belgemine on that day when she tried to stop Luzzu from fighting in the Mi'ihen Operation. And then with her hair down free and smiling as I released her from Spira.

I thought of Auron that day we stood over my mother's grave together, and how I cried and cried and he just let me without any judgment. Of how that last night I had with him he held me so close and tight against him while whispering 'I love you' over and over again in my ear with so much emotion in his voice.

And I thought of Jecht and that sparkle of pride when he looked up at me in his final moments. How for one moment when I was holding him I actually felt like we had a parent-child bond. And how much it hurt to know that that bond was about to be broken.

Yes. Yes, my life did have meaning. Maybe not as much as some people but it did count for something. There were bad times and good times and some in between. I met a lot of good people and some not quite so good ones. But most importantly, I had managed to save my friends and the lives of so many innocents from a clergy of lies, hypocrisy and death. I had managed to give them a chance at _life_. And, really, that was probably the biggest thing that mattered to me. I gave the people of Spira a chance to live out their lives.

You know, before all of this I thought death was a scary and hard thing to deal with. But then I came to Spira and saw what death _really_ meant, and how easy it was to succumb to it. How easy it was to just give up and give in. The truth is that it takes more strength to live than it does to die. Funny how I didn't realize this until my own life was draining right out of me.

But then that's my life for ya. One ironic twist after another.

Godamn fayth.

* * *

**E**nd


End file.
